


It's Never Too Late

by DWolfric



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: AU - No Card Games, Angst, Attempts at depecting other countries, Badass!Ryou, Bakura has no memories of his past, Fluff, Journal Entries at the beginning, Loner Ryou, M/M, Possession, Prophecy, Theif Adventures, Theif!Ryou, Traveling, Zorc is not a thing, magic use, will add more as I think of them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2018-08-19 07:10:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8195399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DWolfric/pseuds/DWolfric
Summary: Ryou Bakura is a normal teenager who just moved to Domino City. Though one thing wasn't normal about him, not since he received a package from his father at a dig in Egypt. He has a person in his head. A person that goes by the name of 'Bakura' who happens to want Ryou to help him find a body. Will Ryou help? Or will he accept his fate and live with this 'Bakura' forever?





	1. Prologue - Ryou's Journal

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this happened because I got an idea and ran with it. It kind of got away from me. Ah well. Enjoy!

 

_**Entry Number One** _

**October 5th**

 

I keep having a re-occurring dream. But it isn't like normal re-occurring dreams; it's never actually the same. The only thing the remains unchanging is who is in it. I don't exactly know who it is, however.

What I do know... is that he looks like me. Almost like a twin, but not. He has a wild appearance, nothing at all like my tidy and unruffled one; his shorter hair stuck out as if he didn't know how to tame the snowy locks almost like mine. His eyes, instead of the deep brown of my own, were almost crimson. His skin was probably four shades darker then my own, and there was a scar under his right eye. His clothes didn't match mine either.

It looked like he stepped out of an old foreign film based in Ancient Egypt.

He looked dangerous too, like he had been on the wrong side of a knife before and survived to tell the tale. It was almost as if he was everything that I'm not. Not in a good way. A darker me maybe?

...Okay, maybe he _doesn't_ look all that much like me. Cut me some slack. I'll still refer to him as the other me. So there.

He didn't seem all that bad...

The other me didn't speak, he only stared at me, as if he expected me to do something. And that's all this last dream was; him staring at me. It was unnerving, yet comforting at the same time. He looked so terribly sad as he looked at me with an almost yearning expression.

I've told my father about it, but he said that it was nothing important. That it was just my mind trying to remind me to do something I had forgotten. I don't think it's that though. He wanted me to do something for him, but he never once told me what.

Am I going mad?

Ah, no matter. I started school yesterday. It wasn't so bad I suppose. Girls swarmed my desk as guys glared at me. This is usual though. They'll get used to me being there and I'll practically disappear.

Not literally, but they'll stop noticing me so much.

I moved, by the way, since father told me that it wasn't healthy for me to remain in the house we shared with my mother and little sister.

...They both died when I was younger. After that happened, my father began to work harder and was rarely home. He doesn't come home much anymore; he's in Egypt on some dig. He does his best though.

He sends me money to live on every month, and he pays all of the bills. Sometimes he sends me things too! The last time I spoke to him (When I told him about the dreams) he said that he's sending something in the mail and that I should be getting it in the next few days.

I'm so excited! I wonder what it is.

 

\----R.B

 

 

~

 

_**Entry Number Two** _

**October 8th**

 

 

The other me spoke last night. It was startling; I waved to him, something I'd never done before, and he spoke! His voice was rough, like he hadn't talked in years. It was also odd; he had an accent that I couldn't quite place, though I liked it.

I remember most of the conversation we had, but only because it was so short. It went like this:

"Are you waving… at me?" The other me asked.

"Er… I suppose that I was," I replied through the shock.

"Oh..."

"Who are you?"

"...I don't know…"

Then I woke up. He seemed very hesitant about everything, and he didn't seem to know who he was. It seemed so real, well except for the fact we were floating in a void of blackness. Just... the interaction with him felt so... I don't know. I really don't know what to think about this.

I'm not going to bother my father with it though.

Oh! I got that package yesterday! Turns out he sent me this really old Egyptian pendent. He said in the letter that when he saw it, that he thought of me. Kind of strange considering that I'm not Egyptian.

Anyway, the pendent looks like it's made from pure gold and it's very heavy. It's a circular shape with a triangle that has the eye of Horus in its center in the middle of it. There are five dangling cone like shapes that are about an inch apart that start of each side and go downward and on the top there's a ring that has a thick rope tied to it.

Despite it being heavy, I've taken a liking to wearing it. So I've decided that I'm never going to take it off. Except for to sleep, that would be rather painful to lie on. And in the shower, I don't know what would happen to it if it got wet like that.

It's a beautiful pendent all in all.

I wore it to school today, but I wasn't really brave enough to wear it over my shirt; so under my clothes it went! At first it was a bit strange feeling against my skin, but eventually it was comforting.

I wonder why that was.

 

\----R.B

 

 

~

 

_**Entry Number Three** _

**October 11th**

 

I woke up crying this morning. Something that I hadn't done since Mother and Amane died all those years ago. What caused this you ask? (Well, **you** don't ask, you're a book. But whoever reads this might.)

The other me showed me his memories. It's sort of a surprise that he had them last night, when he didn't before. Something strange must have happened.

It's getting really hard to keep believing that this is all just a figment of my imagination. The images he showed me; it was almost like a movie playing.

Except for I was there. I was watching everything unfold, but I had never been to Egypt before.

He showed me his childhood and how the Pharaoh destroyed it. How only he survived his village’s massacre because his mother told him to run and hide. How he witnessed every murder, every rape, and every dismemberment of his friends and family. How he saw that their souls were used to create seven golden items that would have the power to take control of the world.

The other me showed me when he was captured and turned into a slave and what he had to endure during those times. How he became a master thief and escaped. How he vowed to get revenge on the Pharaoh's son, because the Pharaoh himself had died.

He showed me how he raided the dead Pharaoh's tomb and drug his mummified corpse back to his son in the palace, just to mock him and get him angry.

He showed me how he faced off against six Priests and the prince turned Pharaoh. He showed me how he managed to get one of the items; he had told them that all of the items were his, and he would get them back.

I watched as the other me, the thief, murdered the priest he had gotten the item from.

In the end however, he didn't get his revenge. He didn't get all of the items. He didn't get to kill the Pharaoh.

He lost.

The other me was killed, and his soul was locked away in the very item he stole.

Then I saw bleak, black loneliness. Regret. Sorrow. Anger. Hatred. A swirl of negative emotions festering until madness consumed him.

Then it faded away, and all that was left was the two of us in the darkness. It was all so sad; I had begun to cry in the dream. The other me had looked shocked at this, but then he smiled; it didn't look like a true smile, it looked bitter and forced. He spoke then, his voice less rough then it had been the night before.

"You cry the tears that I can no longer shed, for my heart has turned cold and icy." He told me.

With those words echoing in my mind, I woke up. I cried for a good twenty minutes before I picked up my journal to write.

Was it all really just a dream?

Wait... I just realized something. That item he was sealed in, in the dream… it's the very same one that my father sent me from Egypt.

This is getting a bit spooky.

 

\----R.B

 

~

 

_**Entry Number Four** _

**October 19th**

 

I've started to have memory black outs. It's rather alarming when I wake up in strange places I've never been before.

The other day, I woke up standing in an alley with a bloody knife in my hand. I don't know what I was doing, and frankly, I don't want to know.

School has been getting harder, due to the black outs. They tend to happen without any warning what so ever. I'll be in the middle of a lesson, and then suddenly I'll wake up at home, or in some strange alley. I even woke up walking once.

I'm starting to get scared.

Those dreams with the other me happen every single night now. But he looks more like me now. His skin is pale, and his hair is long. It's startling.

They don't take place in darkness anymore. There's this... room we're both sitting in. It's hard to explain because sometimes it changes. I think there might be two rooms.

One looks a lot like my room; books cover the light blue walls, pictures of my small family, little knick-knacks, a beanbag chair or two to sit in, a bed, a desk, and a picture of the other me. That last item confused me for a little while, but then I realized that the room probably symbolized my mind.

If that's the case, then the other room must belong to the other me. It's darker in that room; blood splatter on the walls, weapons of all sorts scattered everywhere, mountains of obviously stolen treasures, a rather large bed, and various other things the other me seemed to hold dear. The room looked like a mix between modern and ancient Egypt.

We've started to have conversations. Sort of. It's more like he tells me things and I respond.

I'm starting to be afraid of this other me. He's dangerous and he knows it. He isn't afraid of making sure that I know it too.

He hasn't hurt me yet, and I don't think that he intends to. Though that doesn't change the twinge of fear when I think about him in my waking hours... however many that may be anymore.

I think I should go see a doctor about these black outs before I really hurt someone.

I would never forgive myself if I hurt someone...

You know... The other me hasn't given me a name to call him yet.

Perhaps I'll ask him tonight if I remember.

 

\----R.B

 

~

 

_**Entry Number Five** _

**October 27th**

 

He told me to refer to him as 'Bakura', saying that his real name isn't of any consequence. He told me that he was a part of me now, so it was only fair that he got to use the name too. He never calls me by name though, when he _does_ call me. The other me calls me things like 'boy' or 'kid'. Once he even called me 'Landlord'. I didn't like that last one, so I told him not to call me that. Chances are he won’t listen though.

The black outs are getting more frequent, as are the conversations between Bakura and myself. I can't remember them most of the time though, only when he deems it important, do I remember. It's startling that he can control my memories like that, hopefully it's only if he's involved.

Bakura looks like me now, even if he does look wilder and more dangerous. He has proved to me that he can look and act like me if he has to. How many times has he already done so? I'd rather not think about that.

It's been three weeks since all of this started. Since I first saw the other me. He had looked so sad then, but not anymore. Now he just looks angry.

I think he might be planning to do something horrible that I won’t be able to stop...

Ah yes, I went to the doctors a few days ago. They said there was absolutely nothing wrong with me, that I was physically and mentally healthy. I don't believe them.

Something is seriously wrong with me.

I think it's this ring's fault.

 _His_ soul was inside it, that much I know for sure. Maybe if I got rid of it, he would leave me alone.

Maybe...

 

\----R.B.

 

~

 

_**Entry Number Six** _

**November 16th**

 

I'm scared... No matter how many times I tried to get rid of the ring, I would wake up and it would be here, beside my bed like nothing happened. I threw in a lake. I buried it in the ground. I gave it to someone I didn't know. I threw it as far as I possibly could into the local park. Still, no matter what I did, it would be back whenever I woke up.

I guess I'm stuck with it.

And Bakura.

At least the blackouts have died down a bit. I've been finishing homework and staying in classes. I'm able to do normal things for the first time in weeks. Though because of previous things that happened, I have yet to make any friends. A lot of girls still like me though, oddly enough.

Bakura has learned to talk to me while I'm conscious now, and he's stopped causing the blackouts. Maybe he realized that he was really screwing up my life by just taking over my body like that. Yes that's what was happened. He told me himself.

When I do talk to him while I'm unconscious, he talks about getting his own body. I don't know how he could do something like that, but I told him that I would help.

I'm tired of him being in my head.

I wonder what it would be like to see him face to face?

Perhaps I'll get to find out.

 

\----R.B.

 

~

 

_**Entry Number Seven** _

**November 30th**

 

I learned in the library that there is this scroll that can grant a lost soul their own body. The problem is that the location wasn't mentioned. According to Bakura though, it's probably in Egypt.

I think it might be at the museum that recently opened an Egyptian exhibit. It obviously wouldn't be _in_ the display, but I think that it might be in the archives that lie below the museum.

Since I told Bakura that I would help, I have to now go on this wild journey to find this scroll. Not only that, but whatever else that might be needed for this to work.

So this will be my last entry for a long time. If not indefinitely. I don't know where the journey is going to take me, or if I could get killed.

Or if Bakura is going to kill me once he gets his own body.

One can never be sure.

Well, at least it won’t be boring.

 

\----R.B.

 

 

_**-End Prologue-** _


	2. Chapter One - The Journey Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryou learns new things that he may or may not like. Also the beginning of thief training!

Ryou calmly stood outside of the museum, eying the building apprehensively.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked softly as he pulled the black fleece hat over his snowy colored locks.

 _"Of course I am!"_ Came the gruff voice of the spirit in his mind. _"Just do exactly as I told you and everything will be fine."_

With a faint sigh, the brown-eyed youth pulled on the black gloves he was instructed to wear. "And how did you come to the conclusion that dressing like this would be best?" Ryou grumbled softly.

 _"I peeked into your memories. Apparently, thieves of your time wear this sort of attire."_ Bakura replied arrogantly.

With a roll of his brown eyes, he moved to sneak in through the back, as instructed. He had visited the museum three times in the past week so that he could get a good idea of the layout. A good thief always knows every exit and entrance, according to Bakura.

Ryou had argued at first, claiming he didn't want to be a thief and that he wanted nothing to do with his whole thing. That usually resulted into being abruptly pulled into a soul room and being yelled at. Once the spirit actually stuck the white haired youth. Despite being in a soul room, it hurt just the same.

He lifted his gaze to the slightly hidden back door, "It's probably locked," he murmured softly.

_"Then pick it."_

"I don't know how to pick locks, Bakura."

 _"Is that so?"_ Bakura asked before a sigh could be heard, _"Fine, relax your arms and let me take control of them."_

"Wha? Why?" The snowy haired youth replied in confusion.

 _"Idiot, so I can pick the lock. You had better pay attention, you need to learn this too."_ With that said, Bakura did as he said he would, taking complete control of Ryou's arms.

As a test, he calmly opened and closed his fists before moving each of the fingers. Once he was sure he had full control over his 'host's' arms and hands, he reached into the little bag that was nestled against Ryou's side.

Ryou watched carefully as his other self expertly used the tools they brought to pick the lock. The other's movements were almost too fast to follow, though the brown-eyed teen had good eyes. The odd thing about this time was that he could also feel every movement like he was making it himself. It wasn't very hard to memorize it; though he wasn't going to try on something important like this until he practiced.

The sound of a faint click snapped him out of his sort of trance.

 _"There. You better have watched that."_ Bakura said with a slightly irritated tone.

"I did," The white haired youth replied as he calmly and quietly opened the back door, slinking inside easily.

Ryou was already used to slinking around silently, due to avoiding girls at all of his old school... And boys who wanted to beat him up.

 _"You've been bullied?"_ Bakura asked suddenly from inside Ryou's mind.

The mahogany-eyed male paused at the question, his gaze surveying the area for guards before he made his way to the door that lead to the archives.

"That isn't the best thing to bring up at the moment..."

 _"Fine. Tell me when we get the scroll then."_ The spirit said grudgingly.

Despite his so called 'connection' with Bakura, he didn't want to talk about it. "If it's even here," Ryou replied.

 _"It better be."_ The gruff voice had said, a faint hint of worry in his voice.

The white haired youth knew why the spirit sounded worried. Despite the fact he desperately wanted his own body, for some reason he didn't want to uproot Ryou's life completely. Sure, turning him into a thief wasn't the best thing, but his 'landlord' could easily return to his life after such things. If the scroll wasn't in this museum, chances are that they would have to search the entire world for it.

Ryou wasn't too keen on that idea.

As he silently tried the door to the archives, he thought of how much more interesting his life had gotten when Bakura first appeared. As much as he hated to admit it, he was sort of glad the 'evil' spirit was with him. ...He really hoped that Bakura wasn't listening to that.

"Good, it's unlocked," he muttered as he swiftly entered the room and shut the door behind him. Luckily for him, he closed the door just as a guard was turning the corner. Ryou let out a breath before looking around the expansive archives. It figured.

The white haired youth didn't even know what to look for as he stared at the piles of old artifacts and scrolls that appeared to be thousands of years old.

"How will we know which one it is?" Ryou asked the spirit softly.

 _"We have to read the scroll to find out."_ Was the answer.

Crap. Ryou knew that he wouldn't have any idea what any of those scrolls said. He silently assured himself that Bakura could, and obviously would, tell him which one it is.

So the 'two' of them set to work. The supposed thief in training opened the scrolls and Bakura told him that they weren't the one. Scroll after scroll they searched. Time and time again it wasn't the one they needed.

It was getting harder and harder not to lose hope in the situation, but still they continued.

Nearly four hours later, with no luck at all, Ryou decided that it would be best if they returned the next night. For once, the spirit agreed.

He wasn't sure why he thought that this would be easy. In the beginning, it was only words. He had agreed to help his other self only because it seemed like the right thing to do. Because he supposed that he wanted to please the other. All of Ryou's life, he had been doing things on other's terms, not his own. At least after his mother and little sister died. He didn't want to cause any more grief than what was unavoidable.

Eventually, he had hidden his 'true' self under layers and layers of lies and deceptions. He knew he wasn't actually a bad person, but he also wasn't as prim and proper as people thought he was. So far, only Bakura knew of this.

 _"Don't get distracted,"_ Bakura said suddenly, causing Ryou's attention to instantly return to the task at hand. Getting out without being seen.

Oddly enough, it was a little more challenging to get out then it was to get in. Ryou had nearly been seen three times before he made it to the back door they had come in. It was Bakura’s hissed remarks and warnings that kept the white haired teen from being caught.

Once they were out of the museum and far enough away, Ryou spoke softly, “We went though over half of the scrolls there,” he said as he pulled the fleece cap off of his head to free his snowy locks, “I’m starting to think it isn’t even there.”

Bakura was silent for a long moment as he seemed to mull over the possibility. _“It may not be,”_ he began slowly, _“but we are still coming back tomorrow night.”_

Ryou wasn’t about to argue with the spirit.

There was a part of him that knew it wasn’t going to be there, but he tried his hardest to ignore it. The white haired youth desperately wanted the scroll they needed to be there. If it wasn’t, he didn’t know where to even start looking for it.

Perhaps Bakura would know? Ryou wasn’t going to ask just yet. Doing so would result in voicing his doubt, which would in turn make them both irritable. He would rather avoid doing that for the time being.

 _“Now, explain to me why you were bullied.”_ Bakura suddenly ordered in a gruff tone. Maybe he was trying to take Ryou’s mind off of the impending failure? Probably not.

The teen rolled his eyes as he walked up the front steps to his small home. It wasn’t quite an apartment, but it was too small to be considered a real house. It was all Ryou felt he needed since he more or less lived alone.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” the boy replied softly as he unlocked the door and entered the ‘house’.

_“Boy, you either tell me, or I’ll find out why myself.”_

It was obvious that it wasn’t an empty threat. Ryou sighed as he placed his keys on a small table that resided beside the door.

“I’ve always been the target for other boys,” the teen began softly, not caring if he could be heard or not, “girls like me, which makes boys dislike me. If I’m alone, which I always am, they’ll beat on me. I’ve learned to endure it, so it doesn’t bother me so much anymore.” Ryou finished as he removed his shoes and made his way to the living room.

 _“If it doesn’t bother you,”_ Bakura began, _“Then why were you so against telling me?”_

There was a pause in his movement as he thought about that. Bakura was right. He was ashamed that other students bullied him. That he never did anything to defend himself. “I guess I’m weak.” He said finally.

Bakura made a noise that sounded as if he couldn’t decide whether to sound disbelieving or to snort.

Before Ryou knew it, he was staring into the spirit’s crimson eyes in the mirror. He gave a startled sound as he jumped back, nearly tripping over the coffee table.

That was definitely a new trick.

 _“Listen to me, kid,”_ the thief said from the mirror. Ryou couldn’t help but touch his own lips, only to find they weren’t moving at all when the reflection’s were. _“If you were, in fact, weak. I would have been able to completely take over your body.”_ He stated in a somewhat cold tone, _“Your body would be mine and you would no longer exist.”_

The youth stared at the spirit in shock, unsure of how to take the words.

 _“As it stands, you need to learn how to protect yourself.”_ As soon as those words left his lips; Ryou was suddenly pulled into what he decided was Bakura’s soul room.

Stumbling slightly, the teen regained his balance as he peered at his double with a slightly alarmed look in his chocolate colored orbs.

 _“Don’t look at me like that,”_ Bakura said from the far side of the room, beside a wall that appeared to be completely covered in various weapons.

Where those always there?

“What… did you mean by ‘you need to learn how to protect yourself’?” The white haired teen asked in a slightly shaky tone. He wasn’t afraid though. Not at all.

The spirit rolled his crimson eyes at the question, _“Isn’t that obvious?”_ He asked, but didn’t bother waiting for the boy to answer, _“I’m going to teach you how to defend yourself.”_

“I gathered that much, but **why**?” Ryou asked as he eyed the weapons apprehensively. He had never wanted to hurt anyone, so he never bothered learning how to fight. He even refused to take defensive classes when the offer came up once.

 _“You’ll find that people leave you alone if they know you can fight,”_ Bakura replied simply, though it seemed as if he was refraining to say something else as well.

The white haired youth eyed him for a moment before he gave an over-suffering sigh. He knew he wasn’t going to win this one. “Fine, I’ll learn. But don’t expect me to be an amazing student.” Ryou said as he crossed his arms over his chest in an indignant manner.

Bakura flashed a smirk at the teen, _“Don’t expect me to be the nicest teacher.”_ He said in return. It was obvious that he was already thinking about what to teach Ryou first.

The boy blinked and suddenly he was standing in his living room again. He stared at his reflection, it was actually his own this time, before he shook his head lightly.

 _“We’ll start tomorrow after we finish our search at the museum.”_ Said the spirit suddenly before he went completely silent.

There was no evidence at all that Bakura was there anymore. The exhausted youth smiled to himself once he realized he finally had some time to himself. Those times were rare now that he was sharing a body with an insane spirit determined to change Ryou’s list of various skills. Not that it was a bad thing, he supposed. Just… odd. No one else seemed to care about what he could or couldn’t do. So it was hard to get used to Bakura caring. Or at least he acted like he cared.

With those thoughts swarming his mind, Ryou showered and readied himself for bed. He needed to get a good night's sleep for what they planned to do the next day.

Surprisingly enough, Bakura didn’t say a word throughout the day while the boy was at school. He also hadn’t been bothered by anyone, luckily enough. He hadn’t learned any defense from the spirit yet and he wasn’t keen on being beaten up and having to deal with the pain during his little ‘excursion’ at the museum.

That night, Ryou stood in front of the museum back door, once again clad in black from head to toe. “Well hello again,” he muttered under his breath as he silently approached the door.

 _“It’s time for you to prove you were paying attention last night,”_ Bakura said suddenly, causing Ryou to nearly jump out of his skin, _“pick the lock.”_ He ordered calmly.

As he slowly removed the tools he would need to pick the lock, the teen suddenly felt as if he were taking a test he never studied for.

With shaking hands, Ryou began to pick the lock just as he had seen Bakura do the night before. He didn’t get a chance to practice, so this was the first time he ever tried to pick a lock by himself.

He could almost feel the spirit’s eyes on him, but he knew that it wasn’t possible. The thief didn’t have a body of his own yet.

Again the boy was reminded of what they were doing this for. All of the pressure he felt previously vanished as the lock clicked faintly, granting them entrance.

 _“Good job, kid,”_ Bakura said, almost sounding proud, _“your time will get better the more you do it.”_ The spirit stated lightly as Ryou followed the route from the night before to the archives, _“There will be times where you won't have the leisure of time on your side.”_

The white haired youth made it to the room without incident and slipped into it silently. “Thanks,” he murmured, “I think.” It was hard for him to tell if Bakura was complimenting him or complaining.

 _“Let’s just get looking.”_ Was the spirit’s short reply.

So Ryou began to look through the remaining scrolls. Again and again Bakura told him it wasn’t the right one. There wasn’t even a hint of where it could be in any one of the scrolls they looked at, much less being the actual scroll.

The longer they searched, the less hope the white haired boy seemed to have about finding it at all. He didn’t vocalize this, but he had the feeling that the spirit knew anyway.

Finally they finished going through the scrolls in the archives.

 _“It’s not here,”_ Bakura said sounding more than irritated, _“it doesn’t look like anyone around here found it either.”_

Ryou was going to ask the other what he meant by that, but he decided that he didn’t really want to know.

“So what are we going to do?” The boy whispered softly as he stared at the pile of scrolls they had gone though.

He heard something that sounded like a scoff, _“We have to look the hard way.”_

“And this wasn’t the hard way?” Ryou asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

 _“Look kid, we’re going to have to travel.”_ Bakura stated, leaving no room for argument.

The white haired teen didn’t like that answer. He didn’t want to have to uproot his normal life just so he could help a disembodied spirit create a body for himself. Ryou then wondered exactly what it would take for Bakura to get his own body.

“Perfect,” the boy said in the same annoyed tone, “just perfect. There goes my life”

The spirit didn’t reply as Ryou turned and left the room silently. Somehow he didn’t care about getting caught as much as he had the night before.

Once they were out of the museum, he pulled the fleece cap from his head before he nearly threw it. He had never been so angry about something so small before. Ryou was used to moving around, he had done it a lot as a child. But that didn’t mean that he wanted to uproot his life again. Especially not when it could lead to him being thought of as a criminal.

But he had agreed to help Bakura find the stupid scroll and he never went back on his word.

When Ryou reached his home, he had calmed down more than he expected. Perhaps this wouldn’t be a bad thing? His life would at least be a bit more interesting and chances are, he’ll meet a lot of new people and learn a lot of new skills. Maybe when he comes back to this town, he’ll be a different person?

Somehow that thought excited him.

He unlocked his front door and entered his small dwelling. The boy let out a soft sigh as he looked around the home he may not return to in a long time, if at all.

“So when should we leave?” Ryou asked the spirit calmly.

Bakura said nothing for a long while as he seemed to think about it. _“You should learn some defense before we leave. So you can protect yourself in case something happens.”_ He said finally. _“So I think in two weeks.”_

The brown-eyed teen was slightly surprised by the answer, but he didn’t argue. Ryou didn’t have any friends at school, so he wasn’t going to try to bother making any since they’re going to be leaving soon anyway. He had time to figure out what he was going to take, though he assumed that he had to pack light.

Maybe he should inform his father that he planned to travel a bit? The man would probably give him enough money to go anywhere in the world he wanted too. That would definitely be helpful. And two weeks gave him plenty of time to write a letter and even get one back if it’s replied to right away.

“Two weeks sounds good,” Ryou agreed as he moved to his bedroom. “We’re going to start my lessons tonight, right?”

Suddenly the boy was standing in Bakura’s soul room looking into those crimson eyes.

_“Right now actually.”_

The white haired boy swallowed before he nodded. This was for his own good. He needed to learn whatever Bakura wanted to teach him.

He desperately hoped that he wouldn’t regret this.

  
**_-End Chapter One-_ **


	3. Chapter Two - Mind and Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The training begins.

__

Whatever had given Ryou the idea that Bakura’s lessons would be easy had lied though it’s teeth. Horribly. Each lesson was more difficult than that last and he was never really given a chance to rest. If he wasn’t doing things physically, he was in Bakura’s soul room practicing there.   
  
His breath came in short pants as he stared at the floor of his living room. The white haired youth had to clear it all out to make room to practice. The mahogany coffee table was pushed up against the far wall and the couch was pushed back in a way that left a good amount of room to move around as much as he wanted without hurting himself on a piece of furniture.    
  
_ “Good, now practice the movements I showed you earlier.”  _ Bakura ordered from Ryou’s mind.   
  
With a faint sigh, Ryou closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. He calmly began to move slowly, his right arm extended in front of him with his palm open and ready to block a blow as his left hand was balled into a fist near his chest ready to attack when an opening was spotted. The white haired teen took a deep breath as he visualized himself standing in the middle of a clearing surrounded by trees, the grass slightly damp under his feet and a light breeze dancing through his snowy locks. Soon, his mind became a void of calm, the movements of his body registering clearly as his thoughts silenced long enough for him to do as the other told him. Bakura had taught him to do that. He had found it was a lot easier to learn whatever it was the spirit wanted to teach him when he was in a calm state of mind.   
  
After only four or five days of this, his body began to react on it’s own. When an especially aggressive boy grabbed his arm just the day before, he had easily thrown him over his shoulder. Ryou had been as shocked as the other teen, as the boy was nearly twice the white haired teen’s size. Bakura had praised him after that. The boy felt good when the other praised him, so he did all he could to deserve it.   
  
It had been a week since they started. A week since they found out the scroll wasn’t at the museum. A week since Bakura decided that Ryou needed some defense training before they traveled anywhere.    
  
The spirit had been shocked that his ‘landlord’ caught on so quickly. All he had to do was take control of the body’s movements  _ once _ and Ryou knew it. And even when he didn’t take control, all it took was instruction. It got to the point where he snuck in some offense for the youth to learn, and he didn’t seem to notice the difference. Bakura was surprised that the change went supposedly unnoticed, but he didn’t complain. The last thing he needed was for the boy to learn what he was teaching him wasn’t just defense, but offense as well and refuse to learn anything more. This was as much for Ryou’s own good, as it was Bakura’s. They shared a body after all.   
  
Despite what the spirit originally thought, he found that he rather liked instructing the little human. The ease that he learned everything was like a sponge absorbing water. Not that he would ever admit to such a thing aloud.   
  
Two hours passed as the youth practiced in silence, his movements only changing when Bakura indicated. His heart rate was shockingly steady, as if he had spent his entire life doing something like this. The Egyptian didn’t know what to think about it.   
  
To Ryou, it seemed as if the spirit had spent a lot of his life, when he was still alive, studying different fighting styles. Though to him, they were all ancient and most likely not around anymore. The teen knew that Bakura didn’t know any of the modern styles, not yet anyway. He was sure that the spirit would learn them as soon as he could, body or no.   
  
Ryou realized that he didn’t mind that idea and enjoyed learning the more complicated styles. The movements were not only relaxing to the white haired youth, but they held a sort of power that he couldn’t even begin to explain. He felt… better about himself, despite the ever-present soreness in his limbs since he started. Bakura assured him that the soreness would ease after a while and it would be easier to move around, though at that point, it didn’t seem likely.    
  
He had been in decent shape when they started, but he had never tried to do something so exerting as learning fighting styles. Ryou knew that’s what he had been doing. He didn’t feel the need to complain about learning whatever Bakura felt he needed to teach him, considering he didn’t think he had too much of a choice if there was a possibility that they would run into trouble on their journey to find the scroll.    
  
The youth turned silently and made forms as he crept across the room without a sound. He had made a sort of game out of it, thought he wasn’t too sure why. He decided that it was just in his nature to make a game out of everything. The point was to make as little noise as possible as he moved. Nothing was allowed to make noise; not his feet against the carpet, not his clothes rustling, not accidentally bumping into something, and definitely no talking.   
  
_ “You have a knack for this, boy,” _ Bakura complemented suddenly,  _ “No matter what I teach you, you get it on the first few tries.” _ The spirit appeared in the mirror as he had taken to doing whenever he wanted to speak to Ryou face to face.   
  
The white haired youth stopped his practice and stared at the reflection that wasn’t his before he offered a slight, yet tired, smile, “Thanks… I think. I didn’t know that learning these things would be so enjoyable. I mean… I thought that it would be more like work.”   
  
_ “It is work, technically, but it is the more enjoyable kind.” _ The spirit paused to take in the teen’s appearance.    
  
Ryou didn’t appear much different on the outside. His hair was still the same length, though it was now often tied back to keep out of the way. His eyes weren’t different at all; they still told the story of a sad and lonely life and were the most beautiful brown, like mahogany or sienna. His body was still slender, though it appeared as if he were earning some muscle in only the week of training. The spirit wondered how the boy would look by the time they left.   
  
It was then that he noticed that the teen hadn’t made a sound the entire time, unless it was to answer him. Bakura stared at the boy thoughtfully.   
  
_ “It looks like you’re cut out to be a thief after all,”  _ the Egyptian mused aloud suddenly,  _ “it would be fun to teach you more about being a thief. What do you say? Want to be my ‘apprentice’?” _   
  
Deep brown eyes widened in shock as he stared at the reflection that wasn’t his, “Wha-, you’re apprentice? Why?”   
  
_ “Didn’t I just tell you why?” _ The spirit replied in a barely patient tone.  _ “You have the stealth and the focus. Also you learn quickly.” _ He informed the gawking teen calmly.  _ “You already know how to pick locks and sneak around, but that’s only the beginning stages.” _   
  
“There’s more?” Ryou asked as he tilted his head to the side; he knew there was, but he didn’t think Bakura would want to teach him any more of that.   
  
_ “Of course there is.” _ Bakura replied bluntly, his eyes narrowed,  _ “And I’m already teaching you how to fight, so I might as well include ‘thief training’.” _   
  
The more the youth thought about it, the more uneasy he got. He never wanted to become a thief and Bakura had more or less made him one by forcing him to break into the museum after hours with the intent of stealing a scroll that was most likely over three thousand years old. It was all he could do to keep from shaking.   
  
Something told him that the museum was the easy part. It would only get harder as they traveled. Each destination would be more difficult and need a lot more skill to get out alive and unscathed. As he thought of this, he decided. It was better to be safe than sorry. In this case, he would rather be safe.

“Alright, I’ll be your apprentice.” Ryou replied calmly.

_ “Good, You need to eat, and then rest. After that, come into my soul room. I’ll instruct you on the basics.” _ With that said, Bakura was silent.   
  
The white haired teen stared at his own reflection for a long while before he smiled faintly. He was finally the only one in his head for a little while. It felt a little odd to be alone again, but he knew that Bakura was there somewhere, waiting for him.   
  
He tore his eyes away from the mirror as he moved about the living room to place everything back the way it had been. It was obvious that it would have been easier just to leave everything the way it was, but he never did like doing things the easy way. Besides, what if someone suddenly decided to pay him a visit, not that it was likely, it would look suspicious for everything to be pushed back against walls.   
  
After that was finished, he made his way to the small kitchen and began to prepare his usual large meal. In the past, he hadn’t eaten nearly as much as he needed to now. That was probably because he now shared a body with Bakura, even if he no longer took complete control. Not that it mattered too much. The white haired teen never had a problem paying for what he needed.

His father had made sure of that when he stopped coming home. The old man didn’t even know Ryou lived in such a small house, not that he needed anything bigger since he lived alone. Or did live alone. Did it still count as living alone even though Bakura is there now? Probably.   
  
Ryou, as he had told Bakura he would, sent his father a letter the day he found out that he and Bakura would be traveling to who knows where. It more or less stated that Ryou wanted to travel around the world to sample the different cultures and meet new people; he also stated that he wouldn’t be alone so he didn’t have to worry. He didn’t tell the man whom he was going with though. And he didn’t plan on doing so.   
  
He received a reply from his father today, revealing that he had in fact received it. Ryou was honestly surprised that the man had replied at all. It was a sad day when it was surprising to receive a reply from one's father. His father had more or less stopped replying when anything about Ryou’s previous dreams were mentioned. The boy had learned that his father wasn’t going to believe anything he had to say about his ‘other self’, so he stopped writing. At least until he learned about the traveling they would be doing. 

Basically, the letter stated how happy he was that his son was planning to travel and had set up an account just for Ryou’s traveling expenses and anything he might need when out of the country. There wasn’t an amount stated in the letter, but the teen knew that it would be a staggering amount of money. The old man was known for trying to make up for his absence with money.   
  
Despite the fact that Ryou’s father was well off, meaning he was too by default, he never felt the need to spend more than what was needed for him to survive. He also didn’t see the point in flaunting his money. That would just cause him even more problems. So he allowed everyone in Domino to think that he was a poor boy barely getting by. What would they think, he wondered, if they knew the truth? If they knew he was basically rich? Not nearly as rich as Seto Kaiba though, at least he didn’t think so. He never really sat down to look through all of the accounts his father had set up.    
  
Ryou leaned back against the counter as he waited for his meal to finish cooking. It was sort of exciting, traveling. Though he wished that it could wait until he finished school. Who knew how long this journey would take them? He supposed that he could enroll in an online school and take a laptop with him. Would Bakura allow that? Ryou wasn’t so sure he would. 

It wasn’t as if the boy had in friends in Domino anyway. No one would even miss him if he vanished for an undetermined amount of time.  
Though a few people approached him every now and then; a short kid with multi colored hair in the shape of a starfish (Bakura had said it looked absurd and proceeded to laugh at it every time to boy approached Ryou), a blond kid who looked like he once belonged in a gang, but appeared to be friends with the short boy, a brown haired boy who looked like he had a fin attached to his head (Bakura laughed at this kid too), and last but not least, a brown haired girl with a loud voice and a bossy attitude.    
  
They seemed to want to be Ryou’s friends, but they approached him a little too late. He was going to leave no matter what they said to him. And if they still wanted to be friends with him whenever he got back, so be it. Though he wasn’t sure if he would want them as friends. He spent the last few days watching the group, and it appeared as if they shared everything with each other. There were no secrets. Ryou knew he wouldn’t be able to do that. The only person he was willing to share all of his secrets with was Bakura, though that was only because the spirit could find them out as easily as one would walk across an empty room.   
  
The teen turned to check on the food as he continued to think. Ryou was somewhat excited about eating all the different types of food they’re sure to come across on their travels. He couldn’t even imagine what kinds they would be, as he had no idea exactly  _ where _ they were going. It was fun to think about though.   
  
His thoughts returned to the idea of traveling. He knew that he would meet a lot of new people, though he wasn’t sure if they would be friendly or not. Bakura had told him that not everyone was willing to be friendly with a foreigner, especially one that looked like Ryou. He didn’t know what it was about him that made the spirit think people wouldn’t be kind to him. Maybe it was his hair color? He’d seen stranger. Despite that, he would have to get tougher and he was well on his way. He was used to insults and aggression, but actual fighting… he was sure that he was getting better at that.   
  
A thin strand of ivory fell into his line of vision, his eyes focusing on it for a moment. Was his hair color really that strange? Bakura had the same hair color, though he was no longer sure if he actually did, or if it was only because he now looked like Ryou. What was it that caused that? Was it the magic of that Ring that he now always wore around his neck? He didn’t know, and he didn’t think he ever really would.

Those thoughts were pushed aside as he calmly finished cooking and served himself a decent sized portion, though for Ryou is was huge. Bakura had once commented on it, but not at all in a mean way. He had actually been curious as to why the boy had to eat so much. The only answer Ryou could come up with was that he had to share his body now. The spirit hadn’t commented on it again.

He wondered if Bakura would be staying with him after he finally had his own body. It wasn’t like Ryou didn’t have enough to pay for both of them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

That didn’t matter at the moment though. He needed to focus on what Bakura was willing to teach him, not what was going to happen after their quest was finished. 

With that in mind, he took a seat and began to devour his meal. 

It didn’t take long for him to finish, though he hardly tasted it as his thoughts were occupied by what Bakura might teach him. He had never heard of someone taking on an apprentice of thievery so he had no idea what he might be taught. He already learned how to pick locks, what else was there?

With that thought in mind, he cleaned up after himself. It wouldn’t do to leave a mess in the kitchen, even though there was no one there to lecture him about it. He didn’t like being messy.

Once he finished cleaning up, Ryou made his way to his bedroom. He had taken to being in there when he was having his mental lessons with the spirit. That way at least his body was comfortable, even if he wasn’t going to be resting really. 

His bedroom was small, but not exactly plain. Against the far wall, under the small window, sat his full sized bed decorated with a soft looking black comforter that appeared to be overly fluffy and two pillows with sapphire colored pillow cases that matched the sheets. Beside the bed sat an old mahogany nightstand that appeared as if it had been in his possession for years. On the opposite wall, beside the door, was an old dresser of the same wood as the nightstand, though it was obviously much older. The walls were painted an attractive sky blue and the carpet was the color of midnight. The walls didn’t have any posters, as he didn’t see the point in hanging them since he didn’t spend too much time in his room anyway. On the wall near the foot of his bed was the door to his closet. All in all, the room was fairly cozy. 

The comforter gave way to his weight as he lie down and peered up at the ceiling he had painted to look like the night sky. The teen took a deep breath before he closed his eyes. It had taken a few tries to enter the soul rooms on his own, but it hadn’t been too difficult. Bakura had been surprised at least. He found that it was fun to surprise the spirit, though he didn’t actually do it too often. 

Once Ryou cleared his thoughts, he found himself standing in front of the door to what he knew as Bakura’s soul room. Despite how ‘evil’ the spirit seemed or claimed to be, the door didn’t look all that threatening. It appeared as if it were made of an old long forgotten wood, possibly from the time the spirit was from, and was decorated with shockingly beautiful carvings. Ryou had found himself wondering if Bakura had done them, or if they just appeared. It had taken some slight digging, but the boy found out that the other had lived in his soul room, which was actually located in the Ring originally, for so many years he had lost count. The teen didn’t think he could stand living some place without knowing of the passage of time. Without aging. Without the company of another. He wondered if that was why Bakura seemed less… evil to him. They were both so lonely.

Shaking those thoughts away before the spirit could possibly hear them; Ryou opened the door slowly. He had learned that opening the door quickly caused a knife of some sort to be thrown at his head. He didn’t care if it was only in the soul room; he wasn’t keen on receiving injury he could easily avoid.

_ “Good, you’re here,” _ Bakura greeted in something akin to an irritated tone, though Ryou could not yet see him,  _ “It took you long enough. Why do you always take so much time to clean up after yourself?” _ He asked, but didn’t expect, or want, an answer.

Ryou’s sienna colored eyes roamed the dark room in search of the spirit. The blood stains on the stone floors and walls no longer bothered the teen. Neither did the various bladed weapons distributed everywhere in the room. There seemed to be lacking a bed this time, but he didn’t exactly have time to wonder where it went off too. 

Bakura stepped out of the shadows with a small smirk forming on his lips that looked so much like Ryou’s. Crimson eyes focused on the shockingly calm teen before him,  _ “Tonight we shall work on your ability to climb.” _ The thief said simply.

“Climbing?” Ryou inquired in a tone that betrayed his not so pleased surprise. “You’re joking. What does climbing have to do with being a thief?”

The spirit’s eyes narrowed in obvious irritation at being questioned, but he answered anyway,  _ “Everything. And I do not joke.” _ He stated blandly,  _ “To be a proper thief, you have to be able to get out of any situation. To do that, you must sometimes climb up or down stone walls, or buildings in your case.” _ The small smirk returned with full force.

With a hard swallow, Ryou nodded in understanding, “So where am I going to practice?” he asked as his eyes once again roamed the dark room, “I can’t very well start climbing things physically. People would think something is wrong with me. Not to mention there isn’t much around that I could climb without getting arrested eventually.”

_ “You talk too much, did you know?”  _ Bakura asked dryly before he gestured for the teen to follow him. 

On the other side of the room, hidden successfully by the darkness, was a door. Ryou had never noticed it before and now wondered what was on the other side. He figured that he was going to find out sooner rather than later. The teen didn’t hesitate before following the other, his curiosity getting the better of him. It was a plain door that looked more like a stone slab that was carved from the wall so that Bakura might get to the room hidden behind it. Ryou eyed the stone door for a moment before he followed the spirit through it.

There was an intake of breath at the sight. It didn’t look like a room at all; there was no ceiling, though it might be too high to see, and the walls seemed to only be those of buildings of both ancient and modern creation. The ground was made of dirt and rocks, though there was some sidewalk made of concrete. The ‘room’ was a strange mix of ancient and modern; though it didn’t appear as if it would work any other way. Suddenly Ryou knew the other managed to remain sane over the years. No one completely insane could create such an amazing place. At least that’s what he thought.

“It’s amazing,” Ryou murmured softly as he tried to take in everything at once.

The spirit chuckled from beside the youth,  _ “It’s good you like it,” _ he began,  _ “you’ll be spending a lot of time here. This is your training grounds. Most of what I have to teach you will be here. You’ll have to practice physically eventually though. Perhaps when we’re traveling. No one will think oddly of you in another county. They will just assume that it’s normal where you come from.” _

“I understand,” the boy replied as he glanced at the slightly taller male. That was odd; Bakura had been the same height before. Ryou wrote it off as his imagination before he spoke, “What will I be climbing first?” he asked.

_ “We’ll start with something simple,” _ He replied after a moment of thought,  _ “I will give you the tools to start with, but once we get more advanced, you’ll have to work without the tools,” _ Bakura instructed as he handed the teen a length of rope and something that looked like gloves with spikes sticking out of the palms.  _ “These will drive into even stone, so you may not need the rope. But we shall see.”  _ The spirit pointed to an old, yet tall, looking building,  _ “You will climb that first. If you fall, you will try again. Do not stop until you have either reached the top, or I have told you to stop.” _

The apprentice opened his mouth to complain but closed it again at a look from his ‘master’. He didn’t really want to test the spirits temper when he was being kind enough to ‘teach’ Ryou. It seemed more like he was going to instruct the teen, but make him actually learn it for himself. Once he thought about that, thought, it seemed better for him. He had proved to Bakura that he could master anything after just a few tries, so perhaps the spirit was testing that now? Regardless of the other’s intentions, Ryou was going to do as he was told.

With a nod, the boy draped the rope over his shoulder and slipped the gloves onto his hands, “I won’t break anything if I fall?” he asked, unable to help himself.

White brows rose at the question,  _ “You might. But even if you do, it would only be for this training session. It won’t transfer to your physical self. The danger needs to be real enough to teach you what you can and cannot do. Your limits here are the same as they would be there. This is not like a dream where you can manipulate everything to go with your will. In fact, it doesn’t even bend to my will, when it comes to ability.” _ Bakura answered in calm tones, unintentionally revealing that he had tried to bend things to his will when in his soul room and the room attached.

Ryou said nothing for a moment before he nodded, “That makes sense. It’ll make me more cautious if I know that I can feel the pain associated with hitting the ground or breaking something. I have to continue even if I ‘break’ a bone?” Sienna eyes lifted to peer at that pale face much like his own.

_ “Yes.” _ Was the only reply he received, but that was the only one he needed.

With another nod, Ryou made his way to the old building Bakura had pointed to. It didn’t take long to reach it, as he thought it would, and it was much taller than it appeared by the door where he had been standing. The thief in training lifted his head to peer at the building, as if trying to not only see the top from where he was standing, but to also scan it for something he could use as hand and foot holds. A small frown of concentration formed on his lips as he failed to find anything in the smooth stone. It looked as if the building was just a large stone tower with no openings. Brushing off the oddness of that, Ryou stepped up to the bottom of it and thrust the spikes into the stone.

The ease of the action shocked the ivory haired youth, he knew that he had put a lot of pressure into it, but he hadn’t expect for the spikes to actually pierce the stone like it did. With that discovery, he wondered if it would be able to support his weight. After only a moment of hesitation, Ryou lifted his hand to repeat the process. 

Again and again he thrust the spikes into the stone. Before he knew it, he was halfway up the building. The teen took a moment to rest his arms, though it was hard to do so when he was holding himself with them. A faint groan fell from his lips, this was a lot harder than it looked on television. After a moment of just hanging there the teen continued to climb. It looked as if he would get to the top without falling even once.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, however, the spikes of his right hand hit something that wasn’t quite as solid as the rest and loosened more than they should have. Ryou didn’t seem to notice as he dislodged his left hand to keep climbing. This was a mistake on the teen’s part. With a startled outcry, the spikes slipped from the stone of the tower and the thief’s apprentice hurtled towards ground. 

The sound of metal scraping on stone filled the air followed by the youth’s frustrated grumbling. Luckily, Ryou had thought quickly and thrust his hands at the stone soon after he had fallen. Long scratched upon the stone could be seen, even in the distance. He had slid down a good five feet before he had stopped. His arms were throbbing and his breath was coming out in pants. Bakura hadn’t been kidding when he had said that his limits would be the same, though he knew it didn’t matter in the end. He needed to keep going. He needed to reach the top.

With his goal in mind, he began climbing once again. This time he was mindful of the metal going into stone; he measured in his mind how deep the spikes went in and how secure it was before he dislodged his other hand to continue climbing. Despite the fact it took a little longer, he knew it would be much safer to do so. That had been a foolish mistake to make and he was almost positive that he could hear the spirit laughing at him from his spot by the door.

Grumbling silently to himself, Ryou kept climbing carefully. Time didn’t matter to him at this point. He just wanted to reach the top. He needed to. He needed to prove to Bakura that he could do it. It had completely slipped his mind that this was the first time he was doing something like this and the spirit wouldn’t be disappointed at all if he didn’t reach the top this time. The youth was determined and nothing was going to stop him. Not falling and not even breaking an arm, though that would probably slow him down quite a bit. 

After what seemed like hours to Ryou, he finally pulled himself onto the flat top of the tower. It wasn’t long before the teen was lying on his back looking up at the deep darkness. He did it. He really climbed the tower with only one, almost crippling, mistake. A wide smile formed on his lips as he silently cheered to himself. He didn’t know if he could do it the first time. He had expected to fall at least five times before Bakura finally agreed for him to stop for the night. But that didn’t happen. He wondered what the thief thought at that moment, watching him silently.

Eye the color of sienna turned to peer at the still form of the Egyptian. He hadn’t moved at all from where he had stood with Ryou. After a moment, the youth considered what he was going to do next. Would that be all, or would he go to the next step? There was no way that he could climb a tower like this without the gloves, so he assume that when it came to that, it would be a more realistic building. 

_ “You can come down now,” _ Bakura said. He was still so far away, but it sounded as if he were sitting right next to the boy,  _ “You cannot come down the same way you went up, as the gloves do not work that way. This time, you cannot fall.” _ The other instructed.

That thoughtful frown appeared on his lips once again as he sat up and began to scan the roof of the tower. It was almost completely smooth, like the walls; only there were small grooves that looked very much like hoops sticking out of the stone. Ryou tilted his head for a moment before he remembered the rope still draped over his shoulder. A small grin replaced the frown as an idea formed in his mind. 

Lifting the length of rope from his shoulder, he tied the end to one of the hoops. After a moment, he hesitated before slipping it through another hoop to make sure it was secure. He tugged on it a few times before doing it again with his full weight. He knew that it was a stupid thing to do so high up, but he needed to make sure that it wasn’t going to come loose as he was climbing down.

Once he was sure that everything was secure he took off the gloves and carefully tucked them into his back pocket, he made sure that the spikes wouldn’t hurt him even if he fell, before he grasped the rope. With a deep breath, he slipped over the edge of the tower and began to climb down. Ryou was familiar with climbing ropes from his Gym class, as he never had any problems with it. Thankfully, it didn’t take nearly as long to get down, as it was to actually climb up. 

Ryou silently cheered as he made his way to the spirit. Bakura was watching the boy as he crossed the slightly lengthy piece of land to get to him.

_ “I’m impressed,” _ The thief said once Ryou stood in front of him, _ “you managed to climb up without actually falling, I don’t count that slight drop falling, you did not hit the ground, and you also managed to get down without incident. Even I had trouble at the beginning.” _ Bakura mused calmly as he placed a hand thoughtfully on his chin,  _ “Especially since that wasn’t actually what I should have had you start with. That was actually four times more advanced.” _ He admitted to his apprentice. 

Sienna pools stared up at the spirit in shock. Bakura had made him do something that was far more advanced than where he should have started, and Ryou had  _ done _ it. With no real problems. That was definitely something to think about. Maybe the other was right and he really was suited to be a thief? He found that the idea didn’t bother him as much as it once had.

“Thank you,” he murmured softly, rubbing that back of his head in a slightly shy manner, “I kinda forgot that it was the first time I was doing it and just…” Ryou trailed off after a moment, trying to figure out how to describe it, “I think I wanted to prove that I could do it.” He finished lightly.

_ “You act as if you had done it before and failed,” _ the Egyptian pointed out before nodding once,  _ “regardless, you did do it. Well. I look forward to see what else to excel at.” _ With that said, he gestured to the door that lead to his soul room,  _ “For now, we are finished. We will continue tomorrow evening.” _

The ivory haired teen gave Bakura a wide grin before he passed him into the soul room. 

He didn’t mind that he now had both thief training and martial arts training; in fact, he enjoyed the idea of being so busy. In times before the spirit, he had had too little to do. Sure, there had been homework, but that only lasted so long before it was finished and there was nothing more to do.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Ryou began as he glanced at the other now beside him in the room, “Father decided to set up an account for our traveling expenses.” He said, not realizing he had said ‘our’ instead of ‘my’ like he should have, “I don’t know why, but he seems to think that I’ll need more than I already have to do what’s needed.”

Bakura was silent for a moment as he thought about this before he nodded thoughtfully,  _ “You will be able to pay for your travel expenses. Plane tickets and such. But you will be stealing your equipment.” _

Ryou’s expression looked like disbelief, excitement, and horror all mixed into one. “What? Why? I have plenty of money to buy what I need.”

With a roll of crimson eyes, the spirit crossed his arms over his chest,  _ “Because,” _ he replied,  _ “You not only need experience, but you leave a trail if you use money. I will not repeat myself on this again. You will steal your equipment.” _

“Fine,” was Ryou’s reply before a wide yawn broke from his lips, revealing that he was more tired then he let on.

_ “We’re done for tonight. Go to bed, you have to go to that school in the morning.” _ Bakura said gruffly before almost roughly shoving Ryou out of his soul room.

The youth couldn’t resist the light laugh at the action before he nodded in agreement. Without a word of reply, he focused on returning to his physical body and opened his eyes.

It was amazing what he had actually learned to do in that training session. It didn’t seem like much before he had actually climbed the tower, but now. Now it was as if he had spent years studying how to do just that and finally got it right. He was rather proud of himself and he was almost positive that Bakura was proud of him as well, though he knew the spirit would never admit to such a thing aloud.

With another yawn, Ryou wondered what else he was going to learn from the Egyptian.

As the youth slipped into unconsciousness, a faint outline of a person appeared at his bedside. Smoky crimson eyes stared down at the boy,  _ “You have a long way to go, kid.” _ He murmured before the outline vanished and it was as if it never appeared in the first place.

  
  


**_-End of Chapter Two-_ **


	4. Chapter Three - Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryou does his first job.

After Ryou woke up, he would do his usual warm-ups before getting ready for school. After school, he did martial arts training with the spirit coaching him. Once he ate dinner, he went into the other’s soul room and continued his thief training. The teen had slipped into this routine so deeply that when Bakura stated that they weren’t going to do any training that night, Ryou didn’t quite know what to do with himself.

“What is it we’re doing instead then?” He asked curiously as he tapped his fingers on the table in the kitchen.

_ “Research. We need to find out where the most likely place to find the scroll is.”  _ The spirit replied calmly from the boy’s mind.

Ryou paused thoughtfully before he stood and retrieved the laptop from his room. He figured that it would be faster just to use the internet to search, not that he was sure that they would get any real results at all. It all depended on the keywords they searched for. Once he was back at the table, he booted the laptop up.

“It should be faster this way,” Ryou explained to the spirit needlessly.

It wasn’t long before he pulled up a page with a list of museums, “Chances are that it was found and placed in one of these places.” He murmured thoughtfully as he saved the page to a document. It didn’t look like there were any more museums in Japan they could go to. 

_ “Forty Three Museums… Are you sure, boy?”  _ Bakura asked in an irritated tone. He didn’t want to have to go through all of those museums just to find something that might not be there. 

“Yes,” he replied easily before pointing to one, “We should start here, if only because that’s where the scroll originated from.” 

_ “The Egyptian Museum in Cairo?” _ The thief read aloud as he peered through Ryou’s eyes.

“That seems like a decent place to start, don’t you think?”

_ “Might as well.” _ He grumbled, though there seemed to be a hint of excitement in his tone. 

The ivory haired youth could understand the spirit’s excitement. Who knows how long it’s been since the other had been home? Ryou knew that Bakura’s real home was no longer there, however. That story was something he could never forget, though he never brought it up with the thief. He had to admit that he was a bit excited to go to Egypt as well. Luckily he wasn’t going anywhere near where his father was digging.

Despite not having seen the man in over two years, he wasn’t keen on running into him. Sure, Ryou still loved his father dearly, but he seemed like just a man who sent money and possessions sometimes anymore. The teen wouldn’t even remember what his father looked like if it weren’t for some pictures that the man sent every now and then. He was almost positive that the old man wouldn’t even recognize him even if he did run into him. His shoulders slumped slightly at the thought.

“Anyway,” he murmured softly, pushing those thoughts from his mind, “I’ll make a list of museums, just in case.”

The sound of typing filled the small kitchen as Ryou roughly mapped out their route. He’d never been to any of the places they planned to go, so he wondered exactly what they were going to have to do to search properly. The youth knew that he wouldn’t be able to learn all the languages needed to be fluent by the time they leave. Perhaps he could learn just enough to get them by though?

_ “You don’t need to learn any language other than Egyptian,” _ Bakura stated suddenly, it was obvious by his tone that he meant to teach his ‘host’ exactly that.

“I know a little,” Ryou said thoughtfully, “but probably not enough to read anything that I might need to.”

The longer the teen spoke with the spirit, the more comfortable he was admitting things that he usually wouldn’t. Before all of this happened, Ryou wouldn’t have willingly admitted any shortcomings he may have had. It only led to problems if he did, then again, it lead to problems even if he didn’t.

“Will I have enough time to learn it?” he asked finally as he saved to document. It was still odd talking to someone that didn’t appear to be there. It was almost like he was talking to himself, and surely he looked like he was to anyone else.

_ “If you were anyone else, I would say no,” _ the thief began thoughtfully,  _ “but it seems like you will be able to. I only need to show you something once, and you get it right. Your ability to understand is incredible. Perhaps that will count for this as well and not just physical activities.” _ He paused for a moment and Ryou got the impression of a shrug,  _ “I suppose that we’ll find out soon enough. We will be doing that today and tomorrow, as well as gathering supplies for the trip. We leave tomorrow evening.” _

The snowy haired teen allowed himself a small frown at the mention of gathering supplies, though he didn’t mention it just yet. “How long do you think we’ll be staying in Cairo?” Ryou asked instead.

_ “I’m unsure, but I suppose we will be staying at least a week, if not longer.”  _ Was the reply he received.

Ryou paused for a moment before he decided that he would also book a hotel for a week. If they stayed longer than that, so be it. It wasn’t like it would be difficult to pay. Absently, he wondered how long they would stay in the areas listed. That is if they didn’t find what they needed there. Again Ryou wondered how long this journey would take. It could take weeks, months, or even years to get what they want. There’s even a possibility that they won't even find it.

_ “Don’t even think about failure. We WILL find the scroll.” _ Bakura said in an obviously irritated tone. It seemed the spirit wasn’t keen on accepting that possibility, even if it was more likely.

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop thinking about that. We’ll find it eventually.” Ryou stated with a slight roll of his eyes. He wasn’t about to admit that he didn’t mind Bakura’s attitude, but he truly didn’t. It was refreshing to have someone tell him not to think about failure when all he heard growing up was that he would fail at everything he tried to do.

_ “You aren’t a failure,” _ The spirit said blandly,  _ “If you were, we would still be on stage one of your physical training.” _

Ryou had to agree on that. He had gotten far in his training with Bakura. A lot of it going well the first time he tried. He didn’t even know he could do most of the things he did. The youth paused for a moment before he closed the laptop. The spirit had been reading his thoughts again and he didn’t even realize this time. Damnit.

“Would you mind not doing that?” he asked in a slightly colder tone.

_ “Doing what?” _

“Stop reading my mind. My thoughts are private. They need to stay that way.” Ryou stated as he stood and went back into his room. He needed to pack some things for their… his trip. At least it would take his mind off of Bakura’s intrusiveness for a while. When he was finished, then he would begin to learn Egyptian with the spirit. Until then, however, he planned on cutting the other off from his thoughts.

To do that, he visualized a large steel door and shut it in the other’s face. His eyebrows rose as the string of curses from the spirit were cut off as suddenly as they began, revealing that his little trick had worked. Ryou mentally patted himself on the back before he went back to gathering what he thought he needed. 

The white haired youth decided that it would be best to pack light on this trip, no matter how long it ended up taking. He gathered three t-shirts, two pairs of jeans, a pair of dress pants, a nice collared shirt, a tie, a pair of black pants that were easy to move in, a black long sleeved shirt, and his fleece cap. Despite the list of clothing, when he placed it all in his travel bag, there was plenty of room left. He decided that he would bring his own bathroom supplies as well. There was no telling what kind of supplies he would find in hotel rooms, so it was better to be safe than sorry. 

After packing a few more things, he paused to look around the small bedroom. He would miss it. How long would it be until he returned back here? How much would he change during the journey? Would this place even seem like home anymore when he returned? There were so many questions running through his mind and no answers. He supposed he would have to wait and see. He didn’t really like waiting.

It was strange. He didn’t know why he felt so compelled to help the thief get his own body. Perhaps it was what he had seen when the dreams first began. When he had seen those memories that Bakura no longer seemed to remember. Perhaps that was what compelled him to so do? Ryou wasn’t so sure anymore. As time passed and the spirit remained in his body, the more he became accustomed to it. He feared the day that he would feel more at home with Bakura sharing his body then having it to himself. Was that even possible? Would he feel lonely by the time this was all over? The snowy haired teen had to remind himself that he was lonely to begin with. He didn’t know if he could go back to that. Not when he finally knew what it was like to have someone who didn’t see him as a complete waste of space. Not that everyone did, that was just how Ryou felt about it.

Thin, slightly calloused, fingers trailed over the aged wood of his footboard. His gaze softened as he peered around the sparse room once again; it didn’t seem like he lived there. It never had. There was always something missing and he never understood what it was. He still didn’t. Perhaps he would figure it out one day.

With a shake of his head, he placed his packed bag onto the floor beside his doorway. His thoughts were a jumble of various things and he knew it. Ryou couldn’t seem to focus on anything specific for the time being, though he didn’t seem to mind so much. Bakura couldn’t mock him for it behind that steel door. The youth was still slightly surprised that that little trick had actually worked. He wasn’t even sure where he had thought of it. In fact, it was almost as if Bakura wasn’t even there anymore. The teen had the feeling that the spirit couldn’t even speak to him with that door in place; he needed to figure out how to fix that.

Ryou gave a great sigh, almost as if what he was about to do was a bad idea and he knew it, and pulled the mental steel door open. 

A faint gasp escaped his lips as he was suddenly assaulted by what he assumed was the spirit’s jumbled emotions. It seemed like irritation, worry, anxiousness, frustration, and helplessness all mixed together into one dark swirling emotion that filled the youth’s mind as soon as the door was opened. He was very tempted to close it back up, but Bakura stopped him.

_ “Why did you do that?” _ He asked sharply, though his tone sounded slightly shaky. Ryou couldn’t begin to imagine why.

“I didn’t think it would really work,” Ryou replied hesitantly, “I didn’t mean-“

_ “But you did. Don’t do it again.” _ Bakura cut off, giving his apprentice a mental scowl.  _ ‘It was… dark again…’ _

For a split second, the sienna eyed teen thought that the other didn’t actually speak those last words. That he actually heard the thief’s thoughts. He discarded that quickly, however. There was no way that he could read Bakura’s thoughts. It only worked one way. …Didn’t it?

“…I’ll only do it if it’s necessary.” He murmured as he retrieved a notebook and a pencil. “Anyway, are you ready to begin teaching me?” Ryou asked, changing the subject. That would be a touchy one, he thought. 

_ “Yes. First we shall begin with simple things.” _

Ryou was utterly shocked by how  _ easy _ Ancient Egyptian was. He had previously been under the impression that it would take years to learn as much as he had just one evening. He stared at the filled pages of his notebook. Despite his earlier thoughts, writing… drawing the Hieroglyphics didn’t take very much effort. According to Bakura, his writing was even legible. The youth was honestly proud of himself for being able to write it so quickly. Though he still didn’t know how to read and write everything, he had the basics, or what Bakura considered the basics, down. 

He was also shocked that it was almost three in the morning. 

A silent curse filled the room, surprising the spirit quite a bit, before Ryou shoved the notebook into his school bag. He had to go to school in four hours and he had yet to get any sleep. It would be his last day of school in a classroom until he returned, if he returned in time to continue. He still didn’t know how long this journey would take.

“I can practice while at school,” Ryou began absently as he changed into his pajamas, though he didn’t seem to notice, “I have nothing else to do in the meantime, and it might deter that weird group of people from talking to me. I’ve noticed that they only approach if I don’t look busy. So I will be doing my best to look so.”

_ “Good idea, kid. I can also continue to teach you, if you’re careful not to speak aloud. And if you do, not loud enough for others to hear you. You can speak to me using thoughts too.”  _ Bakura explained.

“You explain this now?” The teen said in an exasperated tone, “You just liked to make it look like I was talking to myself.” He accused playfully.

_ “You caught me.” _ The spirit replied dryly.

His shoulders shook for a moment as he restrained laughter, he couldn’t figure out why this was funny, but it was. Perhaps it was because he had been up for so long?

Suddenly a thought hit him, “What about gathering supplies?” he asked, all amusement wiped from his tone.

_ “Sleep is more important at the moment. We can’t have you passing out on the job or making mistakes. It  _ **_will_ ** _ be more difficult to steal in daylight, however. I hope you’re up for the challenge.” _ The spirit explained calmly.

“Yeah, I guess I’m ready for the challenge. I need the practice too, I think.” Ryou replied without thinking before he silently cursed himself. Already he was thinking like thief. Would he ever be able to think normally now? Probably not. He could practically  _ feel _ Bakura’s smirk.

The next morning, or a few hours later in this case, Ryou wanted nothing more than to curl back into bed and go back to sleep. Sadly, he couldn’t do that. He gave a despairing sigh as he pried himself out of bed and into the bathroom to shower. He needed to be as awake as possible for the ‘heist’ later that day. Most likely right after school let out. That was another thing he needed to be awake for, his last day of school. The white haired youth would skip it if he could pull it off, but he needed to get a few things from his locker.

_ “That’s just an excuse and you know it,” _ The spirit said suddenly, the voice sounded almost as if it were right next to his ear. He knew it was just his mind playing tricks.

“That may be true, but I need to study Ancient Egyptian some more. What better place then the class room?” Ryou turned away from the bathroom mirror, just missing Bakura’s bemused expression. He still thought it was a little spooky seeing the other in the mirror instead of himself sometimes. Absently, as he climbed into the shower, he wondered if other people could see the thief instead of him in the reflection too sometimes. He hoped not. That would be something he’d hate to have to explain.  _ ‘Oh, I have the spirit of an ancient tomb robber trapped in my body that talks to me though my reflection.’ _ That would go well. Note the sarcasm.

Ten minutes later and Ryou was out the door munching on a piece of toast. He would have gotten more, but he realized that he was running late soon after he was dressed. Damn Bakura for distracting him. Though he knew it wasn’t really the spirit this time.

_ “As soon as you leave the building, we need to go somewhere that sells first aid supplies, rope, sewing kits, small knives, and things to document.”  _

Ryou’s expression turned thoughtful. He was almost sure that they would need more than that, but he also figured that they could get whatever else they needed in Egypt when they got there.

Excitement began to bubble up at that thought. Egypt! He never thought he would see the country despite his father being there. In fact, the youth was going to be seeing a lot of counties in the next few months.

“I’m not sure if I’d be allowed to have a knife, but I could put it in my luggage anyway.” His eyes scanned the city as he walked to school, this will be his last day in Domino for quite a while. “You want me to get a camera?” Confusion clouded his expression for a moment before it faded at the sound of the spirits snort.

_ “Is that what it’s called? Yes. I thought you might want to make some memories while we travel.” _ Bakura stated grudgingly, almost as if it physically hurt to admit that.

Ryou’s step faltered at the confession. He hadn’t ever expected for the other to be considerate of him at all. The thoughtfulness made him smile as he passed the front gates of the school. He wasn’t so tired anymore.

As the white haired teen sat through his classes, he studied and wrote only in Hieroglyphics. It even got to the point where he began to merely write his thoughts down in between the spirit's instruction and the repetition. It was much easier talking to the thief in his mind using thought, but he still preferred speaking aloud. Not that he did in class, at least not above a faint whisper. Once or twice someone had tried to copy his notes, only to find them in a completely different language. They didn’t know that Ryou hadn’t been taking proper notes for the class. All of his were for Bakura’s ‘lessons’.

Much to Bakura’s amusement, the kid with the oddly colored (and shaped) hair approached him during a break in his last class. Ryou, however, was not amused.

“Bakura-kun! You’re moving?” The boy asked in his too young voice. Ryou had to resist a twitch at the honorific connected to the name he had given the spirit. Despite the fact it was his last name, he no longer enjoyed being called that. Not that he was going to tell this kid that… What was his name? Yuu-something.

“Not really moving,” He heard himself saying, “but traveling around a bit. I’m going to be doing some online schooling in the meantime.” That was mostly the truth anyway.

“When are you going to be back?” The ever-nosey one asked. What made this boy think that Ryou wanted to even talk to him? Delusions perhaps.

“I’m not sure. Whenever I get tired of traveling, maybe?” He replied dryly. 

The smaller teen didn’t seem to take the hint. He continued trying to start up a conversation with Ryou, who was much too nice to tell the kid to leave and find someone else to bother. Bakura offered to scare him away. The youth was tempted to let him.

“Do you want to hang out before you leave then?” Mutou, Ryou remembered, asked as he leaned slightly on the thief-in-training’s desk. 

“I can’t,” he replied a little too quickly, “I have things I need to do before my flight.” And he did. Though it was slightly questionable  _ what _ he had to do. He wasn’t about to admit that he was going to  _ steal _ after school.

“Oh… That’s okay. We can hang out whenever you get back then!” He seemed excited for reasons the quieter teen couldn’t seem to understand.

“…Sure.” It wasn’t like Muto would remember him after a week or so anyway. Besides, he had no idea how long he’ll be gone.

After a few more minutes of Muto trying to pry more information from the white haired teen, he left him alone. Finally. Ryou let out a breath he wasn’t aware he had been holding in an exasperated sigh. 

_ “I could have gotten rid of him for you,” _ Bakura said in his head. His tone sounded… odd though. Angry perhaps?

_ ‘That would be fun to explain,’ _ Ryou replied in his thoughts,  _ ‘’suddenly the quiet kid with white hair snaps and beats the crap out of Muto Yugi’… Ah, that’s his name! ‘Who can barely defend himself.’ Yeah, how about no. Besides, I got rid of him, didn’t I?’ _

_ “After you agreed to ‘hang out’ with him when you get back.” _ The spirit replied sourly.

_ ‘So? Who knows when that’ll be? And if he’ll even remember me? Anyway, what the hell is wrong with you?’ _ The boy asked suddenly, his expression showing slight concern to any who bothered to look his way.

_ “There was something… off about that kid,” _ the thief answered,  _ “something about him was tugging at my memory, but I don’t know what.” _

Ryou was slightly startled by this, but said nothing about it. Bakura would remember eventually, and if he wanted the teen to know, then he would tell him. He wasn’t going to pry. Yet. It wasn’t as if it was all that important, right? If it were, then Bakura would be a lot more worried about it. As far as Ryou could tell, he wasn’t. It was fairly easy to shove those thoughts to the back of his mind as he returned his focus on what he was doing. 

He was always the type the plan things ahead of time. The spirit, however, wasn’t. Not to the extent that Ryou was at least. The thief was growing irritated with the extensive planning the youth was doing for a single, simple heist. According to Bakura, all he needed to do was get in, take what they needed, and get out without been seen. As it sounded easy enough, Ryou wasn’t so sure that it would be. Despite the angry growls in his mind, he continued to draw out rough plans using a sort of code that he wasn’t sure where he had learned. No one would be able to tell what was on that paper even if they stared at it for hours.

_ “Is this necessary, boy?” _ Bakura asked in a gruff tone, though there was a grudging approval in there as well.

_ ‘Of course it is!’ _ He replied, though he seemed slightly distracted as he drew a rather odd line, _ ‘It’s always better to know exactly what you’re doing. If you didn’t notice, I’m not all that good at ‘winging it’. I almost got caught that first night.’ _

_ “But you didn’t. Which says you’re better then you allow yourself to believe. Not to mention you had absolutely no training that night, so I’m positive that you won't get caught even if you walk through the front door with the supplies in your arms.” _ The spirit said confidently.

The boy was stunned into silence for a moment. Bakura has just praised him. …Sort of. It took a moment to force the faint heat from his cheeks before he replied in a calm tone, though it wouldn’t have been such if he had to speak aloud.  _ ‘I’m not as oblivious, but I’m still not confident to go in without some sort of plan. Maybe later on, after I’ve had some practice I’ll do it your way.’ _ Ryou hoped that would stop the other from grumbling too much. It was getting to be irritating.

Something must be wrong with him to get embarrassed by a little praise. Not just embarrassed, but pleased little tingles in his chest. What the hell? He refused to think on that anymore. It was too awkward.

Without him realizing it, the class had come to an end. As did his planning. It was time to act. Without a word to anyone, Ryou left the classroom for the last time. He would change into the black clothing he had stashed in his bag in the bathroom of some fast food place. It wouldn’t be good to leave some kind of trail that could be followed, even if it was something as small as that. That was the first thing Bakura had taught him. Be untraceable. It was a lot harder to do in these modern times, but it could be done. And the white haired boy would do it. 

Sadly, luck was not on his side as that same kid, Muto Yugi, was standing beside his locker.  _ ‘How did he know which one was mine anyway?’  _  He asked, though it wasn’t really directed towards the spirit. Ryou was tempted to just walk by as if he didn’t need to collect the possessions he had left in his locker, but he couldn’t do that. He didn’t want to lose any of the personal possessions he had, even if it was only schoolbooks. So the white haired teen accepted his fate and paused in front of his locker, only glancing at Muto.

“I was thinking,” the short teen began when he was sure that Ryou was listening to him, “maybe I can help you with your errands?” Muto asked with a hopeful shine in his oddly amethyst colored eyes.

Ryou had to swallow a groan of irritation as he forced a smile on his lips, “There isn’t really anything I need help with,” he replied, keeping his tone light.

_ “Of course you don’t need help! Especially not his!” _ The spirit suddenly spat, seeming that much more irritated then his ‘host’ was. This was definitely a stronger reaction than the previous encounter with the other boy caused the last time. Something was… strange.

_ ‘What’s wrong?’ _ he asked the spirit in his mind before he realized that Muto was talking again.

“…-ould have company?” The white haired teen was at a loss of what to say, as he hadn’t really heard the full question. Still, he didn’t want the other boy with him.

“No, it’s all right.” Ryou replied softly as he moved to finally retrieve his belongings from the locker. The youth with the tri-colored hair didn’t seem too keen on leaving him alone, however.

“So where are you going?” Muto asked, seeming to finally give up on trying to go with the white haired teen.

“All sorts of places,” he responded absently as he tried to focus more on Bakura for that moment.

_ “There’s something about that kid that grates on my nerves, boy.” _ The thief said, as if he were peering through Ryou’s eyes at him.  _ “I said before that he seems familiar… and not in a good way. It’s pissing me off being around him. Hurry it up.” _ Then he went silent.

Ryou stared at nothing as he placed his belongings into the bag he carried with him for that reason. …Muto was talking again.

“…-at’s awesome! I’ve never been able to travel. Grandpa won’t let me go anywhere on my own, so I have to settle for the museum or something.” The boy pouted to himself, though Ryou saw it clearly when he glance at the other, before a wide grin appeared in place of the pout, “Will you tell me all about it when you get back?” he asked excitedly.

The thief’s apprentice considered telling the boy that he might not  _ be _ coming back, but decided against it. Let the kid hope if he wanted to. “Sure.” He replied as he closed the locker. “Look, I have to be going now.” Ryou offered the boy a smile before promptly turning and striding down the hall.

“Okay! It was nice talking to you, Bakura-kun!” This time, Ryou did twitch. Hopefully he will never see that boy again.

_ “Don’t count on that,” _ Bakura suddenly said with a snort,  _ “He seems like the type that would wait forever if there’s a chance, no matter how small.” _

_ ‘Thanks a lot.’ _ Was his scathing reply.

It didn’t take long before the white haired youth was standing clad in the black clothing he had worn on his first ‘heist’, the fleece cap covering his snowy locks so that he didn’t stand out as much as he would have. He didn’t seem to really look that suspicious compared to most people that tried to wear such things. Ryou stood calmly in front of the store he had chosen.  _ ‘We don’t need a lot, so this isn’t going to be too hard. I just hope I don’t get caught…’ _

_ “You won't be if you just relax and pay attention. You  _ **_know_ ** _ what to do here.” _ The teen merely sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, the now empty bag hanging off his shoulder.

With little effort, Ryou managed to make it past security undetected. Despite his clothing, his face was innocent. They didn’t once think twice about letting the youth in with his bag. That was their mistake; Ryou was all  _ but _ innocent.

As if to make like a normal customer, the teen browsed the shelves calmly. Slowly he made his way to the closest items on his mental list of supplies, the rope. He paused as he went over the different types and lengths.

_ ‘So what type should we get?’ _ Ryou asked lightly, not even noticing he’d begun to use ‘we’ instead of ‘I’. He had been doing it all day and the spirit didn’t notice either.

_ “The strongest they have that you can carry easily. Probably some sort of climbing rope.” _ Bakura replied, seeming to look over the ropes as well.   


_ ‘If we’re going for the strongest rope, that would be the Workhorse Singles, but it’s too big and bulky. We might have to wait until we’re in Egypt to get that kind.’ _ The youth explained lightly,  _ ‘So for now, I think that the Skinny Singles will be best. They’re lightweight, but sturdy. As long as we aren’t going to have to climb any sharp rocks or cliffs, it’ll be perfect.’ _

There was silence for a few moments before  _ “You researched  _ **_rope_ ** _?” _ The apprentice could almost hear the laughter in the thief’s voice.

_ ‘Yes and no. I read a little about the different types,’ _ he began before he gestured to the small sign with little bits of information on each rope and how it was supposed to be used,  _ ‘but almost everything we need to know is right here.’ _ Amusement colored his tone as he grabbed the longest rope he could find and subtly slipped it into the bag. 

So far so good.

Next came the first aid supplies. According to the spirit, he needed to expect to get hurt a lot. There was a moment of slight fear before he pushed it back and grabbed everything he thought they would need. As it turned out, there was quite a bit they couldn’t get at this particular store, so they had to make due until they got to their destination.

The sewing kit was the easiest, seeing as they didn’t need much to start with. All they needed was enough to mend a tear in his clothing. If they needed more then that, he’d have to get more later.

Once he had found himself at the knife displays, he knew he was in for a challenge. This was the hard part that he had been waiting for. Each and every one of the blades were locked up behind glass to keep thieves away. It was a shame that they we’re enough to keep Ryou out.

_ “Get the smaller ones and a few pocket knives,” _ Bakura instructed, sounding as if he were whispering in his ear again. He didn’t think much of it.   


_ ‘Luckily there isn’t an alarm on the glass displays in this store. We just have to be careful not to be seen.’ _ With that reply, he retrieved the lock picking kit from his pocket and flipped it open,  _ ‘This would be a lot easier at night, but beggars can’t be choosers.’ _

The spirit made an amused sound as Ryou got to work. Surprisingly enough, the youth was done and down one of the other isles by the time someone passed by. They didn’t even notice the number of missing knifes and a dagger that he had taken a liking to.   


_ “You’re more like me then you would care to admit, kid.” _ The thief teased, but the boy ignored him in favor of looking at the different styles of cameras.

_ ‘What kind should I get…?’ _ he asked himself more then Bakura. After a few minutes of debating, he eventually decided on one that could take high-resolution pictures as well as decent video. Who knew what he might want to do? Perhaps he’ll want to record something instead of take a picture. The thief didn’t seem to care either way.

_ ‘Are we finished?’ _ he asked lightly,  _ ‘Do we have everything?’ _

There was a long pause as the spirit seemed to think about it,  _ “Yeah. Let’s get out of here.” _

Surprisingly enough, the white haired youth managed to walk out of the store with no issues at all. He really thought there would have been an alarm or something that would be tripped by the stolen merchandise. Apparently he was wrong. 

Without wasting any time at all, he began to walk home.  _ ‘That went well.’ _ Ryou commented lightly, clearly pleased with himself.

_ “You have a lot more skill then I expected,” _ Bakura began in an impressed tone, _ “what you did in there surprised me. I didn’t think you’d actually go for the glass case on your first real heist. Not even the cameras detected anything off about you. That is something to be proud of, kid.” _

Again the warm, pleased tingling filled the teen’s chest at the other’s complement. And again he pushed it down before Bakura became aware of it. That definitely wouldn’t be very pleasant. At least Ryou didn’t think so.

_ ‘…Thanks. Let’s just go home, alright?’ _

Silence followed the question. The youth merely shrugged and made his way up to his front door and went inside. 

Bakura didn’t speak again until they were on the plane to Egypt.

_ “What the hell is this thing and how the hell does it fly?” _

It was going to be a long flight.

  
**_-End of Chapter Three-_ **


	5. Chapter Four - Friend or Foe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryou learns more from Bakura, and the beginning of something bigger than they both thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I know this chapter took a very long time to come out, but let me explain. I lost motivation to write anything. It was a very difficult time for me, but now everything is fine! Probably. Anyway, this chapter is a lot shorter than I originally wanted, but I couldn’t resist ending it where I did. I will be starting immediately on the next chapter, so do not fear! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters. Do I really have to keep doing this for each chapter?

** It's Never Too Late **

Chapter Four

Friend or Foe

It was indeed a _long_ flight. 12 hours he sat there and listened to Bakura’s many questions that he couldn’t even begin to answer. Ryou admitted that even though he had traveled often in his childhood, he never learned how the airplane kept in the air, he only trusted that it would. Bakura went into a thoughtful silence after that.

It was fairly late when they arrived at the Cairo airport, but not as late as he expected. Then again, time differences always threw Ryou off, even on good days. Curious brown eyes took in the foreign airport calmly as he thought of his next action. The terminal he now stood in was a lot smaller than the one back in Domino and not quite as spacious. Despite everything appearing to be neat and clean, the chairs looked uncomfortable and he couldn’t read any of the signs as they were in the squiggly text that he figured was Arabic. Perhaps he should have tried to learn Arabic after all.

Hopefully it wouldn’t be as hard as it seemed to reach the hotel that he booked a room at, though he was no longer sure how far it was from the airport. Luckily, he was able to find a man that spoke English, as it was a lot easier to find then someone speaking Japanese, and managed to get instructions on how to do this. The man had assured him that most cab drivers spoke English, at least a little, so he wouldn’t have many problems. The teen had thanked the man before he went off on his way. As he only had one bag that he brought with him, he only had to wait a short while at baggage claim before he left building.

After he was outside of the airport, he realized just how large the building was. It had only seemed small due to only seeing one terminal and baggage claim. Ryou stared up at it for a moment, shaking his head in wonder as he turned. A sudden soft gasp escaped his lips. He didn’t realize that there would be an Obelisk just outside the airport. Readying himself for even more surprises, he lifted his hand as the man he had encountered earlier had instructed.

He hailed a cab and safely made it to the hotel, it was shockingly large on the outside and appeared at have at least twenty floors. He didn’t remain outside long enough to count, however. The white haired youth made a small sound of awe as he stepped into the large hotel lobby. It was obviously a very high-class hotel as everything appeared to be polished in some way or another. The floor looked like brown and white linoleum, but he knew that wasn’t what it was.

It didn’t take long before he was being shown to his room, which was more like an apartment then just a room. When he first entered, he stood in what looked to be a sitting room with modern furniture that appeared to be both sleek and comfortable. The teen decided that at the moment, he didn’t really care what his room looked like, so he made his way through the sitting room and though the door he assumed led to the bedroom. Fortunately he was right.

Ryou let out a soft sigh as he dropped his bag on the floor beside the bed before he fell back onto the surprisingly soft mattress. He didn’t realize that traveling was so horribly tiring. Then again, that might be his lack of sleep mixed with the twelve-hour flight and Bakura’s constant questions.

“ _You act as if it was **annoying**_ _for you.”_ Bakura stated sounding very much offended by the idea.

“That’s because it was,” Ryou replied bluntly before yawning. He needed to get some sleep soon or he was going to pass out. “No one usually cares how the plane works, only that it does.”

“ _Well excuse me for being curious of something I’d never seen before.”_ The spirit shot back; he seemed tired as well.

Once he thought about it, he realized that the travel had been taxing for both of them, even if he was really the only one doing it. “Let’s just go to sleep. We’ll figure out what we’re going to do in the morning.”

Bakura grunted in agreement before he went silent.

The next morning was a lot more eventful.

Meaning that Ryou nearly had a heart attack.

When he had opened his eyes, lying next to him, was a translucent, but very **real** , Bakura. The teen had promptly screamed and fell out of bed, staring at the spirit as he sat up and rubbed the side of his head like the scream had given him a headache. Could he even get a headache if he didn’t have a head?

“ _You act like you’ve seen a ghost, kid.”_ Bakura said with a wide teasing grin.

Ryou was much too shaken up to reply as he usually did. He glanced around frantically as if to check if they were in a soul room, but all he found was the hotel room he had fallen asleep in. There weren’t even any mirrors anywhere near where Bakura’s transparent form now sat. That was unnerving.

“…How?” was all the boy could ask as he attempted to gather himself from the floor.

“ _I’ve been working on it for a while now,”_ The spirit admitted calmly, “ _Even before we left Japan. I just didn’t have enough power to do it for long enough to show you before.”_ His tone seemed excited, despite his unreadable expression.

“You’re getting more powerful?” Ryou asked, completely forgetting about the fright of earlier.

“ _Yeah, I guess so.”_ The thief shrugged as he leaned back on his hands, crossing his left leg over the right, “ _It looks like the longer we remain together, the more power I get.”_

“You mean… you’re taking strength from me?” Ryou asked, sounding vaguely nervous again.

“ _No, if that was the case, you would feel weaker…”_ he trailed off for a moment as he peered at the boy, “… _Do you?”_

Looking down at himself, Ryou seemed to check to make sure that everything was in working order before he answered, “No. I don’t even feel tired.” Something dawned on him in that moment, “Actually, I feel better then I have in a long time.”

Bakura stared at him thoughtfully for a few minutes before he spoke, almost hesitantly, “ _This is just a theory, but maybe the more we… bond… the stronger we both become?”_ The spirit seemed very unsure of himself as he said that. As if it was troubling to admit that he was bonding with anyone. He probably thought it was.

A thoughtful expression crossed the boy’s features, “…Yeah, that sounds possible. I wonder if that’s it.” Ryou shrugged as he pulled himself off of the floor and sat on the bed beside the spirit. “I guess this is better than talking to you through a mirror.” He said in an amused tone.

The thief snorted in amusement as glanced at the teen, “ _Now that this is cleared, shall we figure out what we’re going to do first?”_

“What do you mean ‘first’?” Ryou asked, “Aren’t we going to just check the museum then leave?”

“ _No, there’s places I want to go and places I want to show you.”_ He answered.

A little fluttering feeling filled Ryou’s stomach, but he ignored it. “Show me? Like where?” he asked.

Bakura seemed to consider the question before he finally replied, “ _My old hide out, for one.”_ Ryou made a small noise of surprise at the admission, “ _As for what else, you’ll just have to wait and see.”_

“You’re old hideout? Is that even still around?” Ryou asked in confusion because really, it had been at _least_ three thousand years. At _least_. He was pretty sure that anything save for the pyramids and the sphinx was long gone, having withered away with time.

“ _I’m fairly confident that it remains,”_ Bakura replied easily, “ _as it resides in the side of a cliff.”_

There was a moment of consideration before Ryou nodded in agreement, “Alright. I'll bite. Do you even know if anything will be left?”

The spirit shrugged, “ _Not at all._ ” That, of course, made the boy question the other's barely there sanity.

“So basically you wanna show me a cave that used to belong to you?” He asked with a gesture to the transparent spirit still seated on the bed. Ryou took the moment to stretch his arms above his head.

“ _No need to be rude, boy.”_ Bakura replied with a huff before he actually answered the question, “ _Essentially? Yes. However, if the magic still holds, everything should be as I left it.”_

Ryou paused and lowered his arms in mild surprise, “Magic?” He shifted closer to the spirit (who was actually REALLY THERE, it took all Ryou's willpower not to freak out again), “You mean _real_ magic? Like pulling rabbits out of hats and stuff?”

The spirit scoffed, “ _Such a childish example,”_ he glanced sideways at the boy before he huffed, “ _I suppose that it could be done with magic, but I know of no one who would bother.”_ His expression turned a bit more serious as he continued, “ _This spell was used to stop time. I put it into effect before I left for the last time.”_

It was hard not to focus on the last few words; Bakura had known that he wasn't going to return. That thought struck a chord in Ryou that made his throat close with sudden emotion before he promptly shoved it down, “Can you still use magic?” He asked to distract himself slightly.

Bakura stared at him for a long moment, “ _Not nearly as much as I would like.”_ His image flickered just slightly before stabilizing again, “ _There's only so much I can do without a body of my own.”_ Oddly enough, he didn't sound bitter, only mournful of the fact. Ryou wanted to fix it.

“So, did you want to check the museum first? Just to get it out of the way?” The change of subject was sloppy at best, but the spirit didn't point it out.

“ _That seems like the best option. Then we can visit my old hideout; I hope you don't mind walking.”_

“Is it far from here?” Ryou asked, trying not to think the worst.

Bakura's expression turned thoughtful, “ _Probably about... six miles away?”_ Ryou groaned and fell back onto the bed.

“Are you sure you're not secretly torturing me?”

“ _I make no promises.”_ Bakura responded with something of a playful smirk. “ _Besides_ , _you need to build up your physical stamina anyway.”_

Ryou made another disparaging noise. Walking in the desert was one of his least favorite things to do. All he could do was accept his fate since he was fairly sure that there wasn't a taxi that would take them deep into the desert. Maybe he could rent a horse of camel?

“ _Don’t whine._ ”

“I'm not whining,” Ryou denied as he sat back up with a pout.

“ _Anyway, we’re going to check out the museum later in the afternoon._ ” Bakura began, changing the subject to hopefully prevent more complaints from his ‘student’. “ _For now, I think it might be best to do some more training._ ”

Ryou straightened at the other’s words, a light frown tugging at his lips, “Do you think it’ll be dangerous?”

“ _Probably._ ” He replied with another shrug, “ _I have no idea what’s out there anymore. You might have to actually fight._ ”

That was when a thought stuck Ryou. Bakura seemed like he remembered general things, but not anything leading to his… death. That was interesting, also something to keep in mind for the future.

Unless Bakura _did_ remember some of it. He wouldn’t be terribly surprised with how things were currently going.

Ryou forced himself to focus back onto the conversation at hand, “I’m not sure what I could do against animals, other than run,” He began thoughtfully, “But I could probably defend myself against a person.”

“ _It’s going to be a little different today,”_ Bakura began with a wicked grin, Ryou leaned away from the spirit slightly, “ _I’m going to be instructing you right here._ ” He gesture to the room that counted as their front room, “ _And you have to hit me._ ”

He stared at the spirit for a long moment, “Hit you…?” he asked as curiosity got the better of him. Ryou had never once tried to touch Bakura, even in their soul rooms. The only kind of physical contact they ever had was when the spirit was fixing his stance or form, and even then it was only a light tap. But now, now he slowly reached his hand out to touch the Bakura.

Ryou hesitated just before he would make contact with anyone else. Would his hand go right through? Would Bakura feel it if it did? Was he actually _solid_? He swallowed thickly and took the plunge. ...And touched Bakura’s chest.

His eyes widened comically as Bakura merely smirked at him. “You’re… how?” Ryou stammered out, his hand pressed firmly against the cloth of the shirt the spirit was wearing. Not wearing, appeared in? “You shouldn’t be…”

“ _You should see the look on your face._ ” The spirit mocked as he watched the boy’s reaction. He wasn’t about to mention that the only reason Ryou could touch him was because of their ‘bond’. He enjoyed the confused look on his face too much.

Ryou swallowed again and looked at his hand, he could really feel Bakura. Sort of. It didn’t feel like touching an actual flesh and blood person, but more like the impression of one? Bakura merely continued watching him, like there was nothing in the world that was more interesting then Ryou’s hand against his chest.

“Okay yeah,” Ryou began as he pulled his hand back and stared at it, “That was really weird and it shouldn’t have been possible,” his gaze returned to the spot on Bakura’s chest that he’d made contact with, “you don’t _look_ like you would be solid. I mean, I can see right through you!”

The spirit rolled his eyes, “ _Calm down and stop panicking._ ”

“I’m not panicking!” Bakura didn’t look convinced. Not even a little. “Fine. I’m panicking a little. But can you blame me?”

With another roll of his eyes, the spirit got up and turned to his apprentice. “ _This will be more difficult than in the soul room,_ ” He said, ignoring the question flat out. Ryou didn’t look impressed, but he stood as well.

“So you want to actually spar?” The teen asked after a short pause, “It’ll give me more practical experience, since I’ve pretty much been doing this on my own.” He looked up at Bakura, that was weird, and gave a small smile, “Alright. Let's do this.”

It was hard. Harder than anything Bakura had put him though to date. No matter how good Ryou thought he was, how sneaky he was being, or how desperate he was, he just couldn’t hit Bakura. He couldn’t even graze him.

They, meaning Ryou, had cleared out the rather sizeable sitting room by moving all of the furniture against the walls so that nothing would be damaged. But even then, it just felt too small. Like there wasn’t enough space to spar properly.

Bakura mocked and taunted him the entire time. Telling him that he thought that he was faster than that. That even after three thousand years stuck as a spirit in an item, he was still faster than a boy of flesh and blood.

Ryou tried not to get frustrated with the exercise, but couldn’t help it in the end.

Bakura side stepped another attack by the teen and smirked, “ _So vicious. That’s what I was waiting for._ ” He almost didn’t move in time for another aggressive swipe from his apprentice. That was a surprise.

“If you would _stop moving_ then maybe I could _hit you_.” The teen was panting harshly, even as he darted towards where Bakura was standing and shifted to step behind him and trying striking there.

Again the spirit was too quick and dodged, “ _That would defeat the purpose, kid,_ ” He replied mildly as he faced the boy again. He was actually getting faster. It was impressive.

“ _Let’s stop here,_ ” Bakura said as he sidestepped another attack, “ _you need to eat and rest._ ” His expression shifted for a split second before it returned to its default almost scowl. Ryou missed it.

He was resting his hand on his knees, nearly bent in half as he attempted to catch his breath. His face was flushed with exertion and his eyes pricked with tears of frustration. Ryou had just been lucky up until that point. There was no way that he could face any kind of real fight if he couldn’t even hit Bakura.

“ _We will be doing this exercise every day until you hit me._ ” Bakura said as he approached the boy, “ _We need to work on your speed and stamina first and foremost._ ”

Once Ryou caught his breath, he peered up at the spirit through his bangs, “I wasn’t even close,” he murmured, “I _know_ that I’m faster than before all of this began. How am I still not fast enough?”

The spirit frowned, “ _You won’t learn everything overnight. Speed and stamina is something that takes time. Especially if you haven’t pushed your body like you need to._ ”

Ryou finally straightened and nodded, “I’ll work harder.”

“ _That’s the spirit._ ”

It took all of the teen’s willpower not to make a bad joke about that comment, so instead he got to work putting everything back into its proper place. He knew that he could just leave everything, but he considered this part to be training as well. The furniture was surprisingly heavy, so it took a good twenty minutes to get everything back to where it had been before they began their training session.

Without letting his failure weigh on him too much, he decided to explore their hotel room. Ryou really should have done that before they’d started, but it had honestly slipped his mind.

From where he stood in the sitting room were four doorways. One led out of the hotel room, and another led to the bedroom. That left two. The first one he chose was the room on the far right, which turned out to be a reasonably sized kitchen for a hotel room. It was equipped with a full sized refrigerator, an oven and stove, a sink, a microwave, and, strangely enough, a dishwasher. Ryou crossed the black and white tiles to peer curiously into the cabinets. Inside he found a blender and a few dishes, but nothing else.

“I didn’t go shopping yet,” Ryou began as he glanced back at the spirit who apparently had followed him into the kitchen, “so before anything else, I need to.”

“ _It doesn’t look like you’ll get much rest today,_ ” Bakura stated as he crossed his arms over his chest, “ _after you return and get something to eat, you’ll need to head to the museum to scope it out._ ”

The teen made a face before he nodded, “Fine,” he said as he stepped past the other, “I’m taking a shower first. I’m all sweaty and probably stink.”

Bakura made an amused sound before he simply vanished. There was no need to keep a semi-tangible form any longer. “ _Don’t take too long._ ”

With a roll of his eyes Ryou went back to the bedroom to get his toiletries before he went through the final door, which he rightly assumed to be the bathroom. It wasn’t terribly large, but it was a decent size for a hotel bathroom. The shower was standalone with a ridiculously large tub on the other size of the glass, tucked into the corner comfortably. It looked like it could easily fit two very large men with room to spare. On the other side of the room was a sink with a raised bowl (who does that?) with a large wall length mirror. The decor was white and gold, with accents of red.

Without another thought on the bathroom, he grabbed a towel that was provided and began to undress.

After his shower, Ryou looked up the nearest grocery store and set off on a quest to stock his fridge with enough food for the week. If he ended up staying long, then he’d just go back.

Bakura was mostly quiet during the shopping, only occasionally asking questions about certain food. He ended up buying quite a few things that the spirit seemed interested in tasting. Bakura explained that he’s been able to taste anything that Ryou has eaten, which Ryou thought was… strange, but understandable.

Later that afternoon, after Ryou had eaten something, he made his way to the museum, which happened to be walking distance from the hotel he had chosen.

He froze mid step and stared up at the massive building. Ryou hadn’t actually expected it to be so large, but he supposed that Cairo _would_ have the largest amount of artifacts. Joy. ‘ _Do we really have to look at everything here?_ ’ Ryou asked, remembering not to speak aloud for once. He really needed to get into the habit, otherwise he might unintentionally answer Bakura aloud where other people can hear him. He seemed crazy enough, no need to add more to it.

“ _Of course we do._ ” The spirit responded with a slight huff to his voice, “ _This is exactly the reason why we’re staying for a week._ ”

‘ _We’re going to need that week,_ ’ Ryou made a thoughtful noise as he approached the entrance, ‘ _We’d probably be better off searching during guest hours for the first couple of days. We don’t need to be getting caught so early in our search._ ’ The boy paid the entrance fee and entered the building.

“ _If that’s the case, we should come back tomorrow as soon as it opens. That would give us more than,_ ” Bakura paused for a moment, as if looking for something then continued, “ _Four hours for the day._ ”

It occured to Ryou that the spirit had looked at the sign with the hours posted on it. He wasn’t sure how Bakura could do that from inside his head, but he decided not to question it for now. Maybe he had looked through Ryou’s eyes?

The main entrance hall was full of people and a few minor exhibits probably there to entice patrons to enter deeper into the building, which is exactly what happened with Ryou. Without even stopping to look at the exhibits lining the walls, he stepped through a rather large doorway into the main exhibit hall.

It was massive. The entire Domino museum could fit in just this one room, and there were still so many more to explore when he was finished with this one. Ryou was impressed.

There was hope that what they needed was here. They just needed to look.

After a moment of consideration, he decided that starting on the far left and making his way around would be his best choice for the limited amount of time he had left.

Despite the fact that Ryou _knew_ they were there for ‘business’, he couldn’t help but gawk at some of the displays. There were ancient artifacts that depicted what life was like in that region of Egypt, there was jewelry that still shimmered, despite the age. He paused in front of a strip of brown cloth that was displayed next to a slab of rock covered in hieroglyphics.

Ryou frowned at the words depicted there. ‘ _I think this is about you._ ’ He said, getting the spirit’s attention, ‘ _In fact, I think that a lot of this,_ ’ he gesture absently to everything on display in their general vicinity, ‘ _is about you._ ’

The spirit was silent for a long while, but Ryou knew that he had Bakura’s attention.

“ _Did you read it properly?_ ” Bakura asked finally.

Ryou’s knowledge has finally come to the test as he stared at the hieroglyphics for a few minutes, trying to translate it in his mind before he dared speak. When he understood what they said, he stilled. There was something… familiar about it.

‘ _‘The King of Thieves challenged the Pharaoh and failed,’_ ’ Ryou began, ‘ _‘losing his life and soul.’_ ’ The boy swallowed thickly, but continued with a little mental prompt from Bakura, ‘ _‘The beloved of the King of Thieves vowed revenge on the Pharaoh, but could not act on that vow. The Pharaoh, too, had lost his life and soul in the battle.’_ ’

Ryou hesitated as his eyes scanned what remained of the slab, it looked like it had been added on. This was not a part of the original text. ‘ _‘A spell was woven and a soul was bound. The search began, but the King of Thieves would never be found easily. Suffering was wrought, so suffering must be endured. The loneliness will come to an end when...’_ ’ The boy frowned at the tablet as he tapped his chin with an index finger.

‘ _It just abruptly ends there._ ’ Ryou said, disappointment coloring his tone, ‘ _It seems like the rest was lost with time._ ’

“ _I didn’t know this existed,_ ” Bakura began in a soft tone, “ _the first part seems like a retelling of a story,_ ” He very clearly avoiding mentioning that it was _his_ story, “ _but the text under that. It looks like… it sort of looks like a prophecy._ ”

The boy was about to reply, when he felt a faint warmth radiating from the Ring against his chest. He glanced down out of shock, ‘ _Why is it doing that?_ ’ He asked the spirit, clearly alarmed.

Before Bakura could answer a woman’s voice interrupted them.

“Are you interested in the King of Thieves?” She asked.

Ryou turned sharply to look at her. She was a tall woman with dark skin and deep blue eyes. She was wearing a white dress with gold accents, a white cloth covered her hair, and a gold diadem with an eye of Horus as the design. The next thing he noticed was her necklace. It had the exact design as his Ring.

It was an Item. That would explain why the Ring was reacting.

“Oh um…” Ryou hesitated for a moment before he smiled at her, “Yes. I just learned about him today though.” Which was a lie, but he wasn’t going to mention that to the woman. The Thief King wasn’t exactly a well known figure of history.

The woman smiled in return and moved to stand next to him so that she could look up at the tablet Ryou had been looking at before she arrived.

“The is about the fate of the King of Thieves,” she began softly, “but it mentions a beloved.” Her blue eyes turned to focus on the boy thoughtfully, “In fact, a lot of items in this exhibit mention a beloved. Never by name, however.” She seemed distinctly disappointed by this, but it didn’t show nearly as much as Ryou thought that it should, “The King of Thieves is never called by name either.”

This woman was alarmingly familiar, but Ryou just couldn’t place it.

“That’s a shame,” Ryou murmured, genuinely a but put out. He had been hoping to learn The Thief Kings true name, but it seemed that he had to wait. If he _ever_ found out. “I never really heard if the King of Thieves outside of stories,” He turned his attention back to the tablet in front of them, “and I’m not even sure if the one in those stories are the same man as in this exhibit.”

He glanced over to the woman beside him, only to find her staring intently at him. A chill went down his spine and he unintentionally took a step away from her. It felt like she peered into his very soul. Ryou belatedly hoped that she didn’t notice Bakura if she did.

“You have a very old soul,” she began after a tense silence, “it took a long time for you to get where you are.” She offered him a chilling smile, “You have a very interesting story.”

Ryou was officially unnerved by this woman. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Let me show you.”

 

_**-End of Chapter Four-** _


End file.
